Cahokia mayor's workmen's comp claims total $145,000

Cahokia mayor's workmen's comp claims total $145,000
BY BETH HUNDSDORFER AND GEORGE PAWLACZYK

Belleville News-Democrat - June 8, 2008

A fall down stairs while on the job resulted in Mayor Frank Bergman receiving a village check for more than $20,000 -- the fourth time he has received payment for injuries while working for local government.

Bergman, who is paid a salary of $40,000 as mayor, received payouts totaling $145,463 since making his first worker's compensation claim in 1986 while working for the Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water District.

The latest payment, a $20,669 check, was approved for Bergman at the May 6 Village Board meeting, according to a village finance department invoice. The settlement is tax free.

"I got hurt in the village," Bergman said. He declined further comment and hung up when asked for the settlement amount and information about the injury.

Attorney Rod Thompson of Belleville said Bergman, who slipped on steps at the Village Hall on Dec. 9, 2005, received payment for a 22.5 percent loss of the use of his leg and underwent surgery at a Granite City hospital. The village will not be reimbursed for the settlement amount nor for medical expenses, he said.

"He never lost a day on the job," said Thompson, "so this was a good deal for the village."

A News-Democrat request on May 27 for the Village Board minutes in May was initially resisted, with the clerk asking for a Freedom of Information Act request, then telling reporters that the request must be reviewed by the village attorney. However, the minutes were later released,

While they mention the settlement to Bergman, they do not list the amount. The newspaper learned the amount through a village invoice.

Village attorney Robert Sprague stated in a letter dated Wednesday in response to a May 27 Freedom of Information request that he didn't have possession of documents concerning the settlement, but he did forward the request to the village.

Cahokia is a "self-insured" municipality, which means the village is a member of the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust, said Todd Greer, the trust's marketing director. But all records of payments, including the number of claims and the amount of payouts, are confidential. Greer said confidentiality is required because of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.

However, Workmen's Compensation Commission records excluded from HIPAA show that while Bergman was employed as a laborer for the water district in Cahokia, he was paid a total of $124,794 for three separate injury claims. According to commission records, he received the following amounts:

• $26,028 for a left leg injury Jan. 28, 1986, paid March 16, 1987.

• $2,500 for a back, neck and head injury Feb. 17, 1993, that was paid Jan. 14, 1997.

• $96,266 for a fall from a vehicle June 2, 1993, paid Aug. 30, 1996.

Taxpayers also recently paid for a 2008 GMC Acadia sport utility vehicle for Bergman's business and personal use. An Acadia, which costs between $31,000 and $42,000, averages about 15 to 22 miles per gallon. Taxpayers pay for fuel, insurance and maintenance. This payment is part of the compensation package for the position of mayor.

Contact reporter Beth Hundsdorfer at bhundsdorfer@bnd.com or 239-2570. Contact reporter George Pawlaczyk at gpawlaczyk@bnd.com or 239-2625.