Jack Bower of the Rolling Meadows Library is running for Executive Trustee of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). Ballots will be mailed to employers in October and are due December 10. The winner will serve a five-year term beginning January 2027.
Bower is the only library director among three candidates and represents the smallest employer in the race. He also serves as Treasurer of Cooperative Computer Services, the northeast consortium of 34 public libraries. He has been an IMRF member since 2013 and this year received the Illinois Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Award.
"Most IMRF employers are small, and libraries are a big part of that," Bower said. "When IMRF's service breaks down, we feel it first. Smaller employers don't have whole departments to absorb the extra work. The board needs representatives who have lived that."
Since IMRF moved to its Horizon system in 2024, members and employers have reported limited phone access, missing or incorrect statements, delays in first pension payments, and a lack of clear communication. Retirees with service in more than one pension system have been hit especially hard. There has been some improvement, but many issues persist.
"Employers are spending hours on problems they didn't create, and recent retirees are waiting on money they need," Bower said. "I respect IMRF's record of fiscal strength, but I want service to get back to where it was before the new system."
Bower is also the only Tier 2 member in the race. Tier 2 covers employees hired since 2011 and has a later retirement age and smaller benefits than Tier 1. It now includes about 70% of active members, yet Tier 2 has only ever had one trustee.
"I'm decades from retirement, so I have a personal stake in IMRF being strong in 2050, not just today," Bower said. "I would serve members of every tier, but the board should represent those who will depend on this fund the longest."
"If your library is a district, your Authorized Agent or board casts the ballot," Bower said. "If you're a municipal library like mine, your city or village votes, so please make sure whoever handles IMRF there knows there's a library candidate in the race."
Questions can go to Jack Bower at jack.bower@rmlib.org or 847-259-6050 x155.