Investment expert Andrew Tobias wrote a book entitled Getting By on $100,000 A Year (and Other Sad Tales). That was all the way back in 1980. Today, $100,000 doesn’t go as far as it did back then. Gasoline only cost $1.30 a gallon, for one thing. A three-piece suit cost $400. Now, the same suit costs $750, but it only comes with two pieces. Things are tough all over.
Perhaps that’s why 18 members of the City Council can’t get by on their six-figure salaries. Aldermen earn between $104,101 and $114,913 a year. They also have an extremely generous pension plan that, in many cases, ends up paying them more than their aldermanic salary. One of the nice things about being an alderman is that, except for committee meetings and the monthly Council meeting, you can pretty much set your own hours, giving you plenty of flexibility to work a second job.
Here’s a list of moonlighting aldermen and their jobs, according to ethics statements filed with the city:
- Joe Moreno, 1st: Printing sales
- Robert Fioretti, 2nd: Lawyer, bank director
- Will Burns, 4th: Consultant
- Leslie Hairston, 5th: Lawyer
- Sandi Jackson, 7th: Consultant
- George Cardenas, 12th: Bank director
- Edward Burke, 14th: Super-lawyer
- Latasha Thomas, 17th: Lawyer
- Howard Brookins, 21st: Lawyer
- Michael Zalewski, 23rd: Consultant
- Daniel Solis, 25th: Consultant
- Patrick O’Connor, 40th: Lawyer
- Mary O’Connor, 41st: Caterer
- Brendan Reilly, 42nd: Consultant
- Michele Smith, 43rd: Consultant
- Tom Tunney, 44th: Owner, Ann Sather Restaurants
- John Arena, 45th: Graphic designer
- Ameya Pawar, 47th: Business Analyst
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