Independents Band Behind Bury, Phelan Won’t Seek Third Term

Trustee candidates have announced their runs in their respective districts for the Oak Lawn Village Board and are endorsing mayoral challenger Dr. Sandra Bury in the April 2013 election.

Restaurateur and businessman Tim Desmond has announced his run in the special election for Dist. 1 trustee. Desmond is challenging incumbent Cindy Trautsch, who was appointed to the seat after the resignation of former Trustee Jerry Hurckes in August 2011. The term is for two years.

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Desmond brings "a wealth of real-world business experience to the trustee office as the founder and owner of Jack Desmond's Pub in Chicago Ridge". Desmond is also a homebuilder in Oak Lawn and a stationary engineer with Local 399, according to a Bury campaign news release.

Trautsch is running on Mayor Dave Heilmann’s “Independence Party” ticket.

Oak Lawn-resident Mike Carberry is running in the sixth district for village trustee, where Tom Phelan has decided not to seek a third term.

Carberry is a former 36th District state representative and currently services as the deputy director of acilities management for Cook County. Carberry has the full support of Phelan.

Bury has also picked up the endorsements of incumbents Trustees Alex Olejniczak (Dist. 2) and Tom Duhig (Dist. 4).

Olejniczak and Duhig, along with Phelan, have stepped up their battles as of late against Mayor Dave Heilmann-led board majority. Olejniczak is the vice president of operations for Dearborn Wholesalers.

Duhig is seeking a second term as the fourth district trustee.

“It’s time to put an end to insider deals for special interests – for lawyers, hospitals, family members, and the like,” Duhig said, who works in the court services division of the Cook County Sheriff’s office.
 

Bury and the four independent trustees have “collectively pledged to put interests of Oak Lawn taxpayers first.”

The mayoral challenger took the opportunity to slam the current village board majority, which includes Trautsch and Trustees Bob Streit (Dist. 3) and Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5).

“Special interests, insider deals, secret meetings and slanderous personal attacks have become business as usual for the current board majority,” Bury said of the Heilmann-led majority.

Bury’s news release did not indicate why Phelan was stepping down.

Tell us what you think of the candidates in the April 2013 municipal election. Be nice.

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