Oak Lawn Dist. 1 Trustee: Tim Desmond

Name: Tim Desmond

Position sought: Dist. 1 Trustee, Village of Oak Lawn

Campaign information:

Campaign contact information:

• Campaign office address: 4905 W 95th St, Oak Lawn

• E-mail address: jackdesmonds@yahoo.com
• Campaign phone (where residents/volunteers can contact you): 708 945-4094

Personal Information

• Age: 47

• Family: Wife Eileen, 6 children (4 boys and 2 girls)
• Time living in Oak Lawn: 25 years
• Education: Pursuing Degree in Facilities Engineering at Triton College
• Occupation  Owner of Jack Desmonds Irish Pub; Operating Engineer with IUOE Local 399

Candidate Questions:

Use as much space as you need.

1.    What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

I see a real need for change on the Village board after years of bickering and squabbles and revelations about secret deals, rigged bids, and sweetheart contracts for friends and families of board members.  I want to bring honesty and integrity back to the board so that my family and every other family can live in a financially stable, vibrant and safe community for many years to come.

2.     Why do you deserve to be elected?

I am a business owner, general contractor, and operating engineer (Local 399) and my background and experience in these fields provide me with unique insights and perspective into the many issues facing our governments today, most notably balancing budgets and dealing with management and labor issues.

3. What sets you apart from the other candidate?

I believe I have the skills and work ethic necessary to be an effective advocate for the people of the 1st District.  I attribute the success I have had as a contractor and business owner to making sure that the people I worked with were treated with dignity and respect, and that’s something that is sorely lacking on our Village Board right now. 

I believe that responsible people can work together and reach compromises on almost anything, and that is what’s needed from our elected officials today.  I also believe that every decision we make should be made with this question in mind:  how will this benefit the residents and business owners of Oak Lawn ?

3.  What are the three issues in the village that you feel need to be addressed right away and why are these issues important?

• We need to stabilize the Village’s budget and finances and address the serious issue of our unfunded pension obligations.  We can’t keep selling buildings like our Senior Center to cover million-dollar budget deficits.  And if we are serious about addressing our pension crisis then the Mayor and Trustees (both part-time positions) should lead by example and not draw pension benefits.

• We have to direct significant energy and resources into keeping Oak Lawn residents safe, especially our children.  We also need to preserve the values that made Oak Lawn great, and the Board’s recent approval of  massage parlors and gambling cafes is NOT the way to do that.

•  We need to work with our business community to create jobs and hire Oak Lawn students graduating or recently graduated from high school. I will create a program where businesses will get incentives to provide training, apprenticeships and jobs to help our children succeed.

4. Give one example of how you would work with an adversarial village board?

Nothing in government or politics gets accomplished without cooperation and compromise.  Those 2 things are almost completely absent on the current Village Board.  Almost every vote is based on political alliances and not what’s best for Oak Lawn and its residents.  I will bring an open-mind and eagerness to work together to the Board table which I believe will reduce a lot of the adversity and acrimony.

5.  Should Advocate Christ Medical Center be required to pay impact fees and permit fees for future expansion? Why or why not?

Christ hospital is a valued part of our community. I don’t have an opinion as to what type of fees the hospital should pay but they should pay the same as any other business in Oak Lawn. for the Village services and resources they use.

6.     Should there be a cap on video gaming licenses granted to new businesses coming to Oak Lawn? Why or why not?

Absolutely. I believe our existing businesses should be the ones allowed to reap the benefits from the State’s approval of video gaming, not out-of-state companies that open up in our store fronts and call themselves shops and cafes.  They have no stake in our community, as opposed to the many Oak Lawn businesses who have worked hard over the years and who are TRUE members of our Village.

7.     What do you like best about Oak Lawn?

The people.  Oak Lawn residents are some of the warmest and most down-to-earth people in the world.  I have met with hundreds of residents of the 1st District during this campaign and I’m incredibly impressed by the great pride that they take in their homes and their neighborhoods.  I am delighted to have met so many new people over the last couple of months and look forward to serving then as the 1st District Trustee.