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The Chicago Sun-Times published an article discussing retirement bonuses provided by the Tri-State Fire Protection District Board. The piece, titled “Suburban fire board pumped up chiefs’ pensions, promoted trustee’s partner,†was written by Katie Drows of the Better Government Association and released on September 2, 2013.
The article reveals that shortly after announcing his retirement as a fire chief in 2004, James Eggert received a $7,380 raise, increasing his salary from $105,420 to $112,800. Just three months later, he got another raise of over $11,000, pushing his pay to $124,079—more than $18,000 in total during his final months on the job.
Meanwhile, Assistant Fire Chief James Krohse also benefited from a $10,000 raise before resigning. These raises not only boosted their pensions but also created opportunities for promotions within the department.
When Eggert and Krohse left, the three-member board promoted Deputy Chief Alan Hagy to fire chief and Battalion Chief Michelle Gibson to deputy chief. Hagy, who remained with the department until 2008, received two raises totaling $17,000 in his last three months, which increased his salary to $132,000 and included $60,000 in severance pay.
Gibson, now serving as fire chief, is in a civil union with Jill Strenzel, a Tri-State fire board trustee since 2003. Strenzel was part of the board that approved the raises for Eggert, Krohse, and Hagy, and voted to promote her partner.
In response to the controversy, Strenzel and board president Hamilton “Bo†Gibbons defended the decisions, calling the raises “reasonable given each employee’s service†and stating they were in the best interest of the district. Both declined to be interviewed.
Eggert, Krohse, and Hagy all refused to comment, citing confidentiality clauses in their separation agreements. Their pensions, based on their final salaries, have been significantly increased due to the late raises. For example, Eggert’s pension will now be $107,401 annually instead of $91,250 without the raises. Similar increases apply to the others.
If these individuals live to age 80, they could collectively receive over $1.5 million more in pension payments than they would have without the raises. State Rep. Jim Durkin has criticized the deals as “outrageous†and called for greater transparency in how public funds are used.
In 2010, the Illinois Department of Insurance raised concerns about Hagy’s pension, noting that one of his raises was classified as a retirement incentive, which should not count toward pension calculations. However, no action was taken due to legal concerns and the time elapsed since the decision was made.
This story highlights ongoing issues around pension practices and the potential for conflicts of interest in local government decisions.
June 29, 2025