Bury Reshuffles Board Committee Assignments

Mayor Sandra Bury appointed new committee assignments at Tuesday’s Oak Lawn Village Board meeting, but not before mention was made of the infamous hit list.
 “I’m looking at the ‘hit list’ that we’re all so aware of that [former trustee] Tom Phelan put together,” Trustee Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) said, who found herself ousted as the fire department liaison. “It’s exactly the same. I would like to ask you about this list and this meeting that the new board members met on.”
 Bury asked Quinlan to what meeting she was referring.
 “A meeting between yourself, Tom Phelan, Mike Carberry, Alex Olejniczak and Tim Desmond at Palermo’s,” Quinlan said, naming the new trustees who ran together with Bury on the Oak Lawn First ticket.
The mayor asked Quinlan for proof of her allegations.
“[Former] Trustee Phelan is not here today,” Bury told Quinlan. “I solicited advice from every single trustee at this table and the outgoing trustee. This is my decision to make and I requested information from each of you. The list was prepared after my meeting with you at 4:15 p.m. [Tuesday].”
“It’s exactly the same. I don’t know what you’re thinking about,” Quinlan said, before the board voted to meet on financial matters as a committee of the whole.
Bury dumped Trustee Bob Streit (Dist. 3) as the special events committee liaison in a similar reshuffling under former Mayor Dave Heilmann from last year. Streit was also removed from the powerful public works committee. Trustee Alex Olejniczak (Dist. 2) was appointed the fire department liaison and to the public works committee. Olejniczak was removed as the police department liaison and from the public works committee last year.
Trustee Mike Carberry (Dist. 6) was named the board’s police department liaison. Trustee Terry Vorderer (Dist. 4), a retired Oak Lawn police division chief, disputed Bury’s appointment of Carberry, stating that it should have been his appointment.
“I’m disappointed,” Vorderer said. “I really do feel I’m in a unique situation to represent the police department to this board with my 34 years of experience. I’m certain Mike Carberry is a qualified individual, but I feel I can do a better job. I know these are your appoints and I respect your choice of candidates, you were elected by a majority of the people.”
Trustee Tim Desmond was named board liaison to the police department. Appointed to the legislative and license committee were Desmond, Vorderer and Olejniczak.
Both Quinlan and Vorderer asked to be removed from the technology committee. Vorderer said he wasn’t interested in serving on that committee. Quinlan and Streit were the dissenting votes on most of the appointments; Vorderer also voted no to Carberry being named the police liaison, requiring Bury to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of Carberry.
Streit confronted Bury, stating he had proof that her board committee assignmetns were based on a dinner meeting at Palermo’s on 95th in the days following the election. He alleged that his one-time ally, Phelan, had also attended the dinner.
“Are you denying that a meeting took place,” Streit said, adding that he had proof.
Desmond piped up that Phelan did not meet with the mayor- and trustee-elects at Palermo’s.
“So transparency and ethics were just campaign promises,” Streit said. Carberry stirred to life, telling Streit he wasn’t in the business of making denials.
“I can tell you very realistic that people put people in positions because they trust them. They agree on the same values, the same positions and the same ideology. That’s what we did and the people spoke.
“I’ll let you ask me this one time. You’re not even the same league as Tom Phelan,” Carberry finished to applause from the audience.
Following are the board committee assignments. Committee members will select their own chairs:

• Finance (village board will meet as committee of the whole)
•  Quality Control (village board will meet as committee of the whole)
•  Fire department liaison – Alex Olejniczak
  
• Police department liaison – Mike Carberry
  
• Public Works – Alex Olejniczak, Tim Desmond, Mike Carberry
  
• Special events liaison – Tim Desmond
  
• Technology – Mike Carberry, Alex Olejniczak, Tim Desmond
  
• Legislative and license – Tim Desmond, Mike Carberry and Terry Vorderer