CHICAGO — Even before Barack Obama left the White House, plans to build his presidential center in Jackson Park were met with resistance as nearby residents feared the center’s very existence would drive up costs in an area the former president says he wants to uplift.
While the economic benefits of the Obama Presidential Center remain in question, what has become clear is that the Barack Obama Foundation’s top staffers are commanding high-end salaries that are not only out of sync with the more modest pay earned by those living in the surrounding neighborhoods but also exceed salaries for counterparts at other presidential foundations.
A Chicago Tribune review of annual tax filings shows the median pay for the 10 highest-paid employees from 2017 through 2020 at the Obama Foundation is just shy of $344,000.
