Metra Board Chairman Double Dipped, Despite Ban On Outside Pay

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 30, 2013 4:40PM

The hits keep coming for Metra board chairman Brad O’Halloran. The Tribune reports O’Halloran was paid for his service as an Orland Park village trustee, despite a ban by the rail agency on board members receiving compensation from other government duties.

O’Halloran has been involved in Orland Park government for over 20 years and is an elected trustee. He received over $22,000 in payments from the village and collected paychecks from both Metra and Orland Park from his appointment to Metra’s board until December 2012, when he filed a letter requesting the village stop sending him checks

Yet O’Halloran didn’t move to return the money Orland Park paid him until earlier this month, after the scandal involving the resignation and buyout of Metra CEO Alex Clifford’s contract made headlines and placed O'Halloran in the media glare.

O’Halloran, in a letter to Orland Park’s village manager said, “it had come to my attention” his village pay went into a deferred compensation account. He sent the village a check for $22,167.36, the amount he believed he had been paid, but village spokesman Joseph La Margo confirmed for the Tribune O’Halloran received regular statements on his salary.

O’Halloran released a statement claiming he had no intention of double dipping. The village of Orland Park has not cashed his check yet, however. Village manager Paul Grimes, in a letter to O’Halloran, said it was for the wrong amount since it was written before village staff could correctly calculate what he had been paid, as well as tax implications. Grimes added it would be best to get refunds from the deferred income funds where they send the money and the Social Security Administration.