So, I'm sitting here in the office looking at an email from IllinoisPolicy about mayoral salaries here in Illinois, and I'm starting to think that perhaps I've made a vocational error. I'm learning that some of Illinois' mayors are among the highest-payed mayors in the entire world.

Let's look at two cities that upon first glance, you wouldn't think had a lot in common with each other. One is Tokyo, Japan. The other is Rosemont, Illinois. Tokyo has a population of around 13.5 million people. Rosemont has a population of around 4,236.

  • The mayor of Tokyo, Japan is Yuriko Koike, and his annual salary is $238,000.
  • The mayor of Rosemont, Illinois is Brad Stephens, and his annual salary is $260,000.

With a salary of $260,000 per year, Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens is the second highest paid mayor in the world behind San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. Village trustees voted to increase Stephen’s salary 53 percent for 2017 to that current figure, which gives him a salary more than $40,000 higher than that of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel – despite Chicago having a population more than 600 times larger than Rosemont. Likewise, Village Trustees in Orland Park voted to increase Mayor Dan McLaughlin’s salary $110,000 for 2017 – from $40,000 to $150,000 – which will significantly spike his pension once he retires, presumably in the not-too-distant future. Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar and Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey also rank among the highest paid in the world, at annual salaries of $150,176 and $129,729, respectively. For global reference, Tokyo Mayor Yuriko Koike makes the equivalent of $238,000. London Mayor Sadiq Khan makes $208,000.

The SouthCookNews points out that although Rosemont's population is low, it's business activity is really big. They point out that Orland Park, Illinois is a different story, though:

Orland Park, mid-sized commuter suburb of cul-de-sacs and subdivisions in the southwest corner of Cook County is typical. And it pays more for its mayor than Madrid, ($101,190), Moscow ($96,987), Rome ($57,699) and Paris ($9,242). Mayor Dan McLaughlin, whose pay was suddenly increased last year from $40,000 to $150,000, earns the same as the mayors of Tampa and Milwaukee and more than the mayors of Cleveland, Las Vegas, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Louisville, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Miami, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.

For comparison, The mayor of Tinley Park earned $62,286 last year. In Naperville, the mayor earned $20,000.

Not into the political thing, yet still want the big bucks?

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