Politics
Former Ald. Walter Burnett Could Collect $121K Annual City Pension While Earning $311K as CHA Head, Records Show
Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) speaks during a meeting of the Chicago City Council in December 2019. (WTTW News)
Former Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) will collect an annual city taxpayer-funded pension of $120,608 — and could also earn more than $310,000 at the same time as head of the Chicago Housing Authority, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
Burnett, who represented parts of the West Side and the West Loop for 30 years on the Chicago City Council, retired July 31. During 2024, his final full year as an alderperson, Burnett earned $145,974, and accepted a 4.1% raise for 2025, bumping his final annual salary to $152,016, records show.
Burnett will start receiving pension payments of $10,134 per month sometime in October, and they will continue for the rest of his life, according to records obtained by WTTW News from the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said July 29 that he expected to name a new CEO to lead the nation’s third-largest public housing agency by the end of August. The CHA has been without a permanent leader for more than nine months.
Former CEO Tracey Scott earned $311,250 annually while she led the CHA. Whoever is selected by Johnson and confirmed by the CHA Board of Commissioners to replace her can expect to earn a similar salary, officials said.
By comparison, Johnson earns $221,052 annually as mayor of Chicago. Johnson faces reelection in 2027.
It is legal in Illinois to simultaneously earn a salary from a government agency and collect a pension from a separate unit of government. Burnett would not be the first public official to “double dip” by taking on a new taxpayer-paid job after retiring from another government job.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” said Burnett, adding that he is still waiting to hear if he is going to get the CHA job after a confirmation vote was delayed at the board’s July meeting. “I can live on $120,000 a year, no problem. I’ve got my fingers crossed, but if I don’t get it, I’m cool.”
Burnett said he spent his first days of retirement painting the porch of his West Side home and watching the new Eddie Murphy movie while enjoying the lack of calls from constituents with requests and complaints. Burnett cannot lobby city officials until Aug. 1, 2026, under city law.
Burnett contacted officials with the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago on July 10 and informed them he planned to retire from the City Council on July 31. In a voicemail message, Burnett said he was “planning on going over to the CHA” and wanted to know what signing a three-year contract with the housing agency would mean for his pension, since the CHA has a separate pension program, according to a transcript of the message obtained by WTTW News from the pension fund.
“Could I merge my pension with that, and will my pension go up because I’m getting that amount of money because it pays double what I get paid now?” Burnett asked. “Will my pension go up if I transfer my pension over there, or do I have to take my pension now and do something different with them?”
In response to Burnett’s inquiry, Tiffany Junkins, executive director of the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, asked Mandi Mueller, the fund’s benefit manager, to examine Burnett’s pension contributions and records.
“I know it is highly unorthodox, but can you give me a spreadsheet that would calculate a projected FAS of $300,000 for three years and the last year of his aldermanic salary?” Junkins asked, using an abbreviation for final average salary, which is used to calculate pension benefits.
That spreadsheet, obtained by WTTW News, shows that Burnett’s annual pension will increase by 74% to $209,976 if he serves just three years as the head of the CHA and continues to pay into the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago.
That would bump Burnett’s monthly pension payment to $17,498, if he leaves the CHA in 2028, records show.
Pension benefits for members of the City Council are calculated differently than for any other city employee. While city workers can receive as much as 70% of their average monthly salary, calculated based on their final four years of work, alderpeople can receive up to 80% of their salary after their retirement.
In addition, alderpeople also maximize their pension payments after 20 years of service, while all other city employees must work for 30 years to maximize their pension.
Burnett, who also worked for Cook County for 11 years, paid more than required into his pension, and will get a refund of approximately $102,000, records show.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
Contact Jared Rutecki: @JaredRutecki | (773) 509-5372 | [email protected]
