Niles Gave Honchos $200K, Two Cars

The Niles village board is looking into whether its finance department issued checks for $100,000 each to Abe Selman, a former village manager, in 2002 and Mary Kay Morrissey, his successor as village manager, in 2005, without village board approval.

Both received the bonuses when they retired, and they also both received relatively new vehicles.

Trustees are concerned that making these payouts without the approval of the village board at that time may have been unlawful, and an outside law firm is investigating .

"My understanding of the law is that payouts like this have to be approved by resolution of the board, so these may have been illegally and improperly done," said Jim Hynes, who is an attorney by profession.

Trustees must, by law, approve any payments greater than $20,000 to $25,000 which are not in the budget, he said.

On Tuesday, Hynes said the outside counsel has not yet reported back with information on the matter.

"So we don't yet know what our options are," he said.

The bonuses and vehicles came to light in a roundabout way earlier this year when trustees a separation package proposal and he negotiated for a higher amount, citing the bonuses and vehicles awarded to his two predecessors.

Earlier: Trustees reveal backstory on why they want village manager out

Niles trustees are concerned about the fact that no records show the village board ever approved those payouts.

Here is what the records DO show. The following information comes from records the village of Niles provided in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from Niles-Morton Grove Patch. Some of the information is attached to this article in the form of .pdf documents.

Abe Selman--retired April 2002

• The April 2002 village board meeting minutes contain a proclamation honoring Selman's service, but nothing else related to Selman. There was no discussion or vote on a bonus or vehicle for him indicated in the minutes.
• Payroll records indicate the village paid Selman a bonus of $112,500 on retirement. He earned $119,966 in 2001, including vacation, holiday and sick pay.
• An April 15, 2002 Retirement Agreement document, signed by and Selman, states Selman will receive the bonus, the Dodge Intrepid car he was driving on the job, five years of health insurance for himself and his wife Leta and a computer and a glass cabinet from his village office.

Mary Kay Morrissey--retired November 2005

• The November 2005 village board meeting minutes state Trustee Louella Preston made a statement acknowledging Morrissey's service and the fact that it was her last board meeting. Morrissey made a statement saying how much she had enjoyed her job. There was no mention in the minutes of trustees discussing or voting on a bonus or vehicle for Morrissey.
• Payroll records indicate the village paid her a bonus of $100,000 in 2005. She earned $123,000 in 2004, including vacation, holiday and sick pay. She also earned $15,000 in 2006.
• An Oct. 11, 2005 memo from then-Mayor Blase to then-Finance Director George Van Geem says the village board has authorized a $100,000 bonus to Morrissey, and directs him to include it in her paycheck for the week ending Oct. 15.
• A December 29, 2005 bill of sale states the village is selling Morrissey a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria for $10. 

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