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If ignorance is bliss, some Berwyn officials are among the happiest people in the world!
When it came to foreseeing that a member of the Police Department was scamming the city to feather his retirement bed, nobody knew anything. Not the police leadership, not the City Council, nobody.
Thomas Skryd, who has been a member of the Police Department for more than 30 years, was promoted from sergeant to commander in December. After about two months in the new position, Skryd decided he’d had enough and announced his retirement. The additional $14,580 he received in his salary will factor into how much he receives for his pension.
However, this pay raise wouldn’t be calculated into his pension if it were offered as an incentive for him to retire. Police Chief Jim Ritz said he had no clue Skryd intended to leave after such a brief stint as a commander. Isn’t that convenient?
Skryd was promoted from patrol officer to sergeant in July 2009. The City Council ignored the recommendations of both then-Police Chief William Kushner and the Police and Fire Commission in denying Skryd’s application for the promotion.
Skryd listed a bogus master’s degree as part of his credentials, and he filed a grievance against the city for refusing to promote him. While the Police and Fire Commission declined his grievance, the City Council overruled this decision.
This is the same council that has Michele Skryd as a member, wife of the officer in question. While the 4th Ward alderman abstained from voting on the promotion in 2009, we wonder if she had the decency to inform her colleagues that her husband had no intention of staying with the department for very long.
With municipal pensions a major problem for many towns, it’s sad that Berwyn’s leaders don’t know enough to spot a con. But what do they care? They’re wallowing in ignorance, and everyone is happy.
Well, everyone except the taxpayers.
If ignorance is bliss, some Berwyn officials are among the happiest people in the world!
When it came to foreseeing that a member of the Police Department was scamming the city to feather his retirement bed, nobody knew anything. Not the police leadership, not the City Council, nobody.
Thomas Skryd, who has been a member of the Police Department for more than 30 years, was promoted from sergeant to commander in December. After about two months in the new position, Skryd decided he’d had enough and announced his retirement. The additional $14,580 he received in his salary will factor into how much he receives for his pension.
However, this pay raise wouldn’t be calculated into his pension if it were offered as an incentive for him to retire. Police Chief Jim Ritz said he had no clue Skryd intended to leave after such a brief stint as a commander. Isn’t that convenient?
Skryd was promoted from patrol officer to sergeant in July 2009. The City Council ignored the recommendations of both then-Police Chief William Kushner and the Police and Fire Commission in denying Skryd’s application for the promotion.
Skryd listed a bogus master’s degree as part of his credentials, and he filed a grievance against the city for refusing to promote him. While the Police and Fire Commission declined his grievance, the City Council overruled this decision.
This is the same council that has Michele Skryd as a member, wife of the officer in question. While the 4th Ward alderman abstained from voting on the promotion in 2009, we wonder if she had the decency to inform her colleagues that her husband had no intention of staying with the department for very long.
With municipal pensions a major problem for many towns, it’s sad that Berwyn’s leaders don’t know enough to spot a con. But what do they care? They’re wallowing in ignorance, and everyone is happy.
Well, everyone except the taxpayers.
