Normal Township Supervisor Krystle Able wears many hats.
Her salary at the township is $83,000. With health insurance and retirement benefits the value of the position tops $100,000.
Able confirmed she also remains executive director of the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans [IARA] following her election to the township post in April. Able’s salary there last year was about $58,000 when she worked 40 hours per week, according to 990 forms filed by the not-for-profit that addresses issues important to retired union members. Able also is an elected McLean County Board member.
As township supervisor, Able has the responsibility to oversee the township general assistance program, an emergency assistance program for families, the Senior Health Insurance Program [SHIP], and the Activity Recreation Center [ARC] for people aged 55 and over.
The township offers annual grants to the Community Health Care Clinic for medical treatment for the uninsured in Normal Township, the YWCA Special Needs After School Care Program, the OSF Peace Meal Program of nutrition services/meals to older adults, and the School Street Pantry.
Legally, Able can take on roles for the township, the county board, and the advocacy group she serves. Whether she can practically do so is a different question — one retired ARC Director Rick Lewis is raising for taxpayers.
"Is the township supervisor putting in the time, energy, and effort to account for salary and compensation that equals full time?" asked Lewis.
Lewis said it may be possible for Able to work full time at both positions, but added, "I'm not sure if a person can be effective in working one job or two jobs at 80 hours per week."
Able declined to participate in a WGLT interview about how she can do justice to those full-time professional obligations and how much time she is spending on the supervisor’s job for that $83,000 salary. Able also has not responded to a WGLT email asking whether she has reduced hours at the IARA from the full-time status the forms showed last year.
Able did take to Facebook this week noting her status as a single mom.
“We do whatever it takes to fulfill the plethora of obligations on our shoulders. We get up early, we stay up late, we work on the weekends, and holidays, and at night. We work multiple jobs. We skip lunch, we skip self-care, we put off going to the doctor or having lunch with friends, because we are making stuff happen,” wrote Able. “We aren't always perfect, but we are always going to keep trying. Sometimes we mess up, but we always get back up, dust our shoulders off, and keep going.”
Lewis acknowledged there can be work outside of regular office hours, but argued a position with that type of compensation and the type of services the office provides should require a substantial presence by the supervisor during normal office hours.
“If the township supervisor wants to be transparent, submit a time sheet of the time worked in the office,” he said.
A message to Illinois Association for Retired Americans Board President Miller Rodgers was not returned.
"I've been impressed with Supervisor Able's performance in the job. Of course, I speak for everyone at Township when I say we are always eager to hear feedback from our constituents so that we can continue to improve," said Trustee Dylan Hile-Broad.
Township trustees Nayoka Griffis, Tanner Starr, and Natasha Syed have not returned messages requesting comment on the dual salaries.
“Township supervisors are not legally mandated by the state of IL to hold specific office hours. The law does require that a government body's business and meetings be open to the public under the Open Meetings Act. The specific schedule for interacting with the supervisor is left to the discretion of the individual township. Townships often establish regular office hours to ensure transparency and provide public access to services,” said Normal Township Clerk Dayna Schickedanz in response to a WGLT question about supervisor duties in Normal Township.
“However, a supervisor is not legally obligated to do so and may instead communicate with constituents by appointment.”
Schickedanz was citing the laws and duties handbook for township officials put out by the advocacy group Township Officials of Illinois (TOI).
Township officials serve both rural and urban areas of the state. According to Township Officials of Illinois, 85% of the 1,426 townships in 85 of the 102 counties represent populations of less than 5,000.
“Many are considered a part-time elected position but considered full time as an elected official if needed, per the [Illinois] Attorney General’s office. There are conflicts of interest for some positions. As an example, a township supervisor may not hold the chair position of the county board but may be a county board member. There are state legislators that also serve in elected township official capacities,” said TOI Executive Director Jerry Crabtree.
A TOI salary study last year indicates fewer than 3% of township supervisors in the 16-county Central Illinois region 6 make salaries of more than $60,000. That places Able’s compensation in the top tier of township supervisors. Supervisors with higher salaries tend to be in townships with higher and denser-than-average populations and have a bigger time demand to administer assistance programs.
How it works in other townships
City of Bloomington Township Supervisor Deb Skillrud said her job is full time and she could not contemplate having a second job. She said the Rockford Township supervisor also is a full-time position. Both those townships are more populous than Normal Township. The City of Bloomington Township also administers the general assistance programs for most rural townships in McLean County under an intergovernmental agreement.
The Rockford Township supervisor’s salary is only about a third higher than the pay for the Normal Township supervisor, though the Rockford Township population is three times the size of Normal. The base pay for the City of Bloomington Township supervisor is 13% higher than for Normal Township, though its population is 47% more.
Direct apples-to-apples comparisons with Normal are difficult to find. For instance, Capitol Township, which encompasses the city of Springfield, has a supervisor who also acts as the elected county treasurer. The City of Galesburg Township [population 38,000] supervisor is about a quarter-time position, according to an office director, and the pay is “not much.” Limestone Township near Peoria has a relatively low population, but administers additional programs for small municipalities, so the position, Skillrud said, is more like that of a mayor.
Skillrud is a trainer for the township officials of Illinois. She said townships in northern Illinois are often administered differently. Supervisors there may have a relatively limited role with the bulk of the work done by a full-time township director.
Previous office holders
Former Normal Township Supervisor Sarah Grammer oversaw a roof solar project at the ARC, HVAC improvements, finishing unfinished space in the ARC, selling a bus and acquiring an accessible van, and completing a green space project. Grammer’s post was considered a full-time job, though at one point trustees reduced the pay when Grammer wanted to reduce her hours.
Jess Ray was appointed supervisor when Grammer left during her term. Ray said he kept regular weekday office hours of 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. with a lunch. He said he attended meetings of other bodies in the community when they dealt with issues pertinent to township constituents. He said he held regular meetings with shift supervisors at the ARC. Ray noted different supervisors may structure the office in different ways and otherwise declined to compare his role to Able’s.
Another Facebook post by Able this week touted the hiring of office staff and that the township office is now open full-time hours. Able entered the office with a staff vacancy caused by an unexpected death, and then had another worker depart. She has filled those positions. Able said in the post the office is reorganizing and streamlining filing systems, cutting paper waste, updating resources, auditing the employee manual, and engaging in maintenance of the ARC building and landscaping. She said trustees are researching youth committees.
County Board
Able’s attendance record at committee and full county board meetings is solid. County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston sees no issue.
“I have watched Krystle be a dedicated member of the county board team. I have seen her be dedicated in all of her roles,” said Johnston.
Johnston noted other township supervisors have held county board seats in the past and questions have not arisen. In at least one of those precedents, though, the supervisor tended a lower population rural township and was not compensated as highly as Able in the supervisor’s role.
“If it was something where I saw it impacting her ability to be present and to be a productive engaged member, I’d probably maybe have some concerns, but I haven’t seen anything to that effect … She and many other people in this community do have quite a few commitments on their plate and continue to do good work,” said Johnston.
Another prominent McLean County Democrat responded cautiously to the double job issue.
“Krystle has been upfront and honest about her work responsibilities. If the Alliance and the voters are fine with her job performance, then so am I. At the end of the day, they are the ones who should determine if there are any issues here,” said county party chair Patrick Cortesi.
Lewis asked Able to lay out her vision for the ARC and the Township in an open town hall meeting and he said she agreed. Lewis said that is tentatively scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29, at 9:30 a.m. at the ARC Auditorium, though not confirmed.
