User:TW Coyle/Terry O'Brien

Terry (Terrence) O'Brien is the current President of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (Illinois). The District serves over 8 million residents of Chicago and Greater Cook County.

He is a candidate for Cook County (Illinois) Board President in the February 2, 2010 Primary Election. He has served on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)Board for more than 21 years. While his current position pays just $80,000 a year, O'Brien, according to newspaper reports, is a millionaire.

O'Brien is a Chicago resident who lives in the northwest side neighborhood of Edgebrook with his wife and three children. He is an active community member and participates in a number of professional and charitable organizations.undefined

Controversies
O'Brien's companies and contracts During his time with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, O'Brien and his cronies have started more than a dozen private companies, including two engineering firms, that have received at least $3 million worth of contracts from public interests, including the state of Illinois, City of Chicago and City of Cicero.

Newspaper reporters in Chicago seized on this story because, while he reported his ownership of these companies to the state, he never disclosed the contracts these companies received.undefined

O'Brien refused to comply when asked by the Chicago Sun-Times to fully disclose the nature of these contracts. He denied that the companies had done work on behalf of the District, but public documents indicate that his company — K-Plus Engineering Ltd. — did do contract work for the District. O'Brien said that he made a mistake.

His opponents in the February 2010 Democratic Primary Election render him unsuitable for the County President position.undefined

Allegations of sweetheart jobs and cronyism After retiring at age 54 from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, James Denecek was hired back by O'Brien via a $100,000 a one-year consulting contract. His contract was extended for more than 13 years and his current contract is worth nearly $150,000. Since retiring 15 years ago, Dencek has collected more than $2.5 million from the District, including $1.3 million in consulting fees and $1.2 million from his pension. O'Brien has defended his friend's practice of double-dipping on the public's dime.undefined

The $50 Million alley For more than three years, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has been locked in a legal battle with developers seeking access to an 18-foot by 95-foot alley behind the District's headquarters. So far, the District alone has accrued more than $1.3 million in legal fees. O'Brien and the District's board have sought to block the developers from using the alley as a staging ground to build a 40-story building nearby. The District lost a suit seeking 'relief.' Now the developers have filed a counterclaim and are seeking more than $50 million in damages from the District saying it caused an 18-month delay in construction.

Residents have called the lawsuit "a total waste of money."undefined

References

1. http://www.obrienforcookcounty.com/Whoisnew.html 2. The Chicago Sun-Times, 11/02/09. 3. The Chicago Sun-Times, 11/02/09. 4. The Chicago Sun-Times, 11/02/09. 5. The Chicago Tribune, 12/09/09.