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DeKalb names new city manager Gaura was Montgomery village manager for 12 years By DEBBIE BEHRENDS dbehrends@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Anne Marie Gaura led Montgomery through it’s largest period of growth. As its population grew from about 5,500 in 2000 to more than 18,000 in 2010, she helped the village near Aurora build a new police sta-
tion and village hall and saw retail growth with a Walmart Supercenter, Menard’s and JCPenney. Now, DeKalb leaders think she’s the best candidate to be the next city manager. DeKalb Mayor John Rey announced the selection in a news release Monday. Gaura, presently Schaumburg’s interim director of
engineering and public works, will start Jan. 21. Interim City Manager Rudy Espiritu will return to his former position of assistant city manager. “It became apparent to the council that Anne Marie is a seasoned professional,” Rey said. “She has strong city management experience and a very collaborative style.”
Anne Marie Gaura has been selected to replace the previous DeKalb city manager, Mark Biernacki, who retired in June. Guara has previously worked in the village of Montgomery and Lombard, and in interim positions in Buffalo Grove and in Schaumburg. Guara’s contract with DeKalb will run from January to December 2017.
Rey said Gaura’s contract will run from Jan. 21 through Dec. 31, 2017. He said her base salary will be $155,000, with a $4,800 car allowance and $14,285 for insurance, bringing the total compensation package to $174,084. The City Council will vote on her
See DeKALB, page A4
Pension fix could lead to deeper fiscal hole
STARTING TO DATE
By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Relationships that begin earlier may lead to issues later on
SPRINGFIELD – With the fight over solving Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation pension shortfall now headed to the courts, the financially troubled state faces a grim possibility: The plan could be tossed, and Illinois could wind up in an even deeper fiscal hole than the one it’s in now. Legislative leaders, anticipating a legal challenge from public-employee unions once the landmark bill approved Tuesday is signed, went extra lengths to bolster the law’s odds in the courtroom – including an unusual three-page preamble to the legislation in which they lay out their case for cutting worker and retiree benefits. But legal experts say those efforts could mean little in a state that provides some of the country’s stronger constitutional protections of pension benefits. They point to Arizona as a possible warning sign. In 2012, a judge there said a law raising the employee contribution to pension benefits was illegal, and ordered the state to repay the money to workers – with interest. Amanda Kass, budget director and pension specialist for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability in Chicago, predicted Illinois could see a similar outcome. “The state could owe back a huge sum of money, possibly with interest,” she said. Recent rulings across the country bring even greater unpredictability to a plan supporters described as crucial to getting Illinois on better financial footing. A bankruptcy judge in Michigan ruled Tuesday that Detroit can cut its pensions despite constitutional protections like Illinois’ – a blow to labor unions and their members. Illinois, Michigan and Arizona are among the seven states that have clauses in their state constitutions that protect pension benefits, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The others
By FELIX SARVER fsarver@shawmedia.com DeKALB – When Tricia Maxwell’s son started dating at 13, she wanted to take a hands-on approach to parenting him but not too hands-on. Maxwell’s son, Avery, started a relationship that would last more than two years. The DeKalb resident said dating tends to be a tough subject for parents as they don’t want things to go too far. She remembers some of her relatives saying children at that age shouldn’t be in a serious relationship. “This is an age when they are learning to deal with relationships and be in a relationships,” she said. “… You can give them the information and you can teach them, but they need to experience it in order to learn it. As parents, we need to make sure we are part of their lives.” Maxwell said her son, now a junior at DeKalb High School, never let his grades slip and always stayed active in school, even after he ended his relationship. However, some researchers have found children who get involved in intimate relationships at an early age tend to face more social and emotional problems later on, such as substance abuse or other delinquent behavior. A study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Adolescence, surveyed more than 600 students between 1996 and 2003. The study found students who dated early – at the average age of about 11 – had reported more acts of delinquent behavior than those dated after the age of 12.
See DATING, page A4
“At that stage of life [when kids are young], they don’t have the perspective and coping skills to get through that.” Ahna Young with the DeKalb County Youth Services Bureau
Voice your opinion At what age is it appropriate to start dating? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
Photo illustration by Kristina Peters – kpeters@shawmedia.com
See PENSIONS, page A4
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