Brookfield’s new village president rewarded Village Manager Riccardo Ginex with a new contract on May 28, extending Ginex’s term of employment indefinitely.
The village board unanimously approved the contract, which was necessary because Ginex’s prior contract was tied to the term of former President Michael Garvey. The new contract does the same, stating that his employment is “for an indefinite term not to exceed the term of the current village president.”
Ginex, 58, is finishing up his eighth year as Brookfield’s village manager after spending four years as manager of Downers Grove. Prior to that, he served 24 years as a police officer in Downers Grove, retiring as the police chief to take on the role of manager there. He remains a resident of Downers Grove.
Asked if he envisions retirement in the near future, Ginex said he had no plans to step aside.
“For right now, I’m very happy in my job,” Ginex said. “I think we’ve made a lot of good changes. We’ve put a good staff in place, and I want to see them succeed.”
The new contract is nearly identical to the one Ginex signed in 2005, when he was hired by Garvey. It calls for Ginex to be paid a base salary of $142,000, which is a raise of exactly $3.23 from his previous salary of $141,996.77, which was approved by the village board last October and retroactive to January 2012.
Ginex was hired in 2005 at a salary of $107,500 and received hefty raises in the three years following his hire, but those increases have slowed in recent years. His 2012 raise of 2.5 percent was in line with raises received by all non-union village staff. His current salary reflects a 32-percent increase over his starting salary in 2005.
In addition to his salary, Ginex will also continue to receive $5,100 annually for a car allowance, health insurance coverage per the village’s employee manual, and 20 days of vacation. The village also pays $5,000 annually into a deferred compensation plan on Ginex’s behalf.
Should the village move to terminate Ginex, it will be required to pay him salary and benefits for 180 days as severance.
