Chief’s retirement comes with $200,000 payout from Village of Northfield

Family members of longtime former Northfield Police Chief Bill Lustig confronted village officials on Tuesday, the same night the Village Board approved his retirement agreement.

Lustig’s family was joined by other Northfield residents at the board’s regular meeting on Oct. 15, backing the longtime chief and criticizing the village’s handling of his departure.

Village President Greg Lungmus denied any improper treatment of Lustig. Village Manager Patrick Brennan did not return multiple messages from The Record by press time (11 a.m. Oct. 17).

As previously reported by The Record, Lustig, who had been on medical leave since May, voluntarily retired on Sept. 30, as stated in a retirement agreement that the Village Board unanimously ratified Tuesday.

In a text message to The Record on Oct. 10, Lustig said that the Village “encouraged” him to retire and he and the Village eventually came to terms. Lustig said he was not given the chance to bid farewell to his colleagues at Village Hall and the police department, but also texted that he is “proud of my service to the village and remain(s) committed to the residents of the village.”

Lustig had been a Northfield police officer for more than 43 years and served as chief for the last 24.

The retirement agreement includes a total payout to Lustig of $218,563 “which … constitutes good and valuable consideration of Chief Lustig’s acceptance of this agreement,” it reads. The financial total comprises six months’ salary ($111,231.70) and the value of 60 days of unused sick leave ($51,336.73), 368 hours of accrued vacation time ($39,358.93) and three months of family health insurance ($16,636.08).

In accordance with the agreement, Lustig and the village waived certain rights to file legal claims against each other. Additionally, Lustig is to receive a retirement badge and copies of achievements from his personnel file while agreeing to return all Village-owned property.

‘Should be ashamed’

Lustig was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, but his brother Dr. Dan Lustig said that the chief was not given a choice when it came to his retirement.

He read a prepared statement in which he stated that after a “medical emergency” in May, the chief was expecting to return to work.

“While on leave, he worked hard to secure medical approval to resume his duties,” Dr. Lustig said. “While his physician cleared him to return on a part-time basis, the Village received a report indicating he should not yet return to full-time duties.”

On Aug. 9, according to Dr. Lustig, his brother met with Brennan and the Village’s human resources director at Village Hall. Dr. Lustig said, at that meeting, Brennan reportedly “told (Bill Lustig) that there was no path for Bill back to his position as chief of police for Northfield” and that he had three days to make a decision on retirement.

“After 44 years of an unblemished record, he was told it was over. Nothing else,” said Dr. Lustig, who added that Bill Lustig was denied a chance to retrieve his personal belongings from Village Hall and the Village asked for the return of publicly owned items, including Lustig’s medals achieved during his public service time.

Dr. Lustig concluded his statement by saying, “I want you to know that I think the representatives of the Village of Northfield who engineered the chief’s retirement should be ashamed of themselves. Their actions aren’t worthy of the chief, nor the Village residents that they are employed or elected to represent.”

Also speaking in support of Lustig was his father-in-law, Jim Bodman, who said that the family had been encouraging Lustig to retire, but “he just didn’t want to do it because he identified with this role and this Village and he loved most of the people sitting in this room right now.”

Bodman objected to the Village not allowing Lustig to return to his office to gather his personal belongings, instead packing them up and dropping them off.

“Could you imagine saying to Bill Lustig that he’s not allowed to go back into his office to collect his own personal effects? They didn’t trust him to do it,” Bodman said. “Excuse me? We didn’t trust Bill to go back into his office to collect the things that he owned?”

A couple residents spoke up in support of Lustig as well, including Kathy Estabrooke, a frequent speaker at Northfield’s public meetings.

Instead of focusing on the circumstances surrounding Lustig’s retirement, she spoke on succession and advocated for Deputy Chief Mike Hutensky, who has been acting chief since Lustig went on leave, to become Northfield’s next top cop.

The Village said in a press release following Lustig’s retirement that Hutensky will continue as acting chief and the Village will open a comprehensive search for the next chief.

Lungmus: Chief ‘not … forced out’

Prior to public comment, Village President Greg Lungmus read a statement denying allegations that Lustig was forced to retire. He, however, said “circumstances that the village is not at liberty to share” played a part in the chief’s departure.

“Chief Lustig has not been forced out of office by the village manager, village president, any of the trustees or anybody from Northfield,” he said.

He called Lustig “a fixture in Northfield and will be missed by many including myself. On behalf of the Village Board, we express appreciation for his decades of service to this Village and its residents, and wish him nothing but the best.”

Lungmus also said that he has tasked Trustee Tom Whittaker to form a small group to explore ideas to honor Lustig and his years of service to the Village.

Whittaker, who called Lustig his “best friend” and abstained from the vote approving the retirement agreement, said it was a “sad day” seeing Lustig leave.

“It’s tough. It’s an era,” he said. “As long as I’ve known Bill and how much he’s done for me, which is huge, and the impact he’s had on my life, he’s done for everybody who’s grown up in Northfield — whether it’s the kids in grade school when he did Officer Friendly … to the kids that he would meet on Halloween a year ago.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.