Village Board Takes Up Ethics, Continues Budget Talks

The Oak Lawn Village Board has a busy week ahead with two meetings planned.

First, so there is no confusion or miscommunication, the Legislation, License and Ethics Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, according to a meeting notification Patch received from the village clerk’s office last week. No agenda was attached.

The Legislation, License and Ethics committee is comprised of Oak Lawn Trustees Tim Desmond (Dist. 1), Alex Olejniczak (Dist. 2) and Mike Carberry (Dist. 6).

At last month's village board meeting, trustees voted 6-0 to amend the ethics ordinance prohibiting village officials and employees from using their positions to influence government decisions in which they have a distinguishable financial interest.

The amendment also bars elected officials from voting on village matters in which they, their spouses or domestic partners have derived or expect to derive income or compensation for a period of one year.

Before the vote, Tr. Bob Streit (Dist. 3) complained that the term “domestic partner” was too vague and suggested a sexual relationship disclosure because the ordinance exempted Mayor Sandra Bury’s relationships, the only unmarried board member.

Streit  proposed village officials' filling out a form listing “sexual and cohabitation” relationships to tighten up loopholes to protect the taxpayer.

We asked the Orland Park village attorney, Ken Friker, if there were other municipalities that required elected officials, particularly governing members who are single, to disclose their intimate relationships.

Friker said there are attorney general opinions dealing with spouses on government boards that allow a family member or spouse to work for that body without a conflict of interest existing. For example, a school board where a family member or spouse is employed as a teacher. 

“There are statutes that require officials to file statements of economic interest to disclose potential monetary conflicts, but I never heard of sexual relationships,” Friker said.  “It’s totally irrelevant in doing your job in your capacity as trustee, alderman or mayor to know who you’re having sex with.”

Evergreen Park attorney Burt Odelson, who claims 41 years of municipal experience, said the question didn’t even warrant a legal opinion.

“Even the thought of something like that smacks of McCarthyism,” Odelson said. “This is America. We need to remind Bob Streit of that.”

Bury asked Streit if the ordinance should also include language pertaining to extra-marital affairs.

Streit voted yes as a start, “but I want to see these amendments.”

He also complained that he never received notification of the meeting, setting off Village Clerk Jane Quinlan.

The Legislation, License and Ethics Committee was created in the wake of alleged bid tampering after village board members approved 4-3 to award a contract to roofing firm that employed Streit’s brother, launching a federal criminal probe.

The meeting is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

2014 Budget Talks

The public hearing for the 2014 village budget re-opens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6.

The village board is grappling with an $8.4 million budget deficit, over half of which is unfunded pension liabilities.

At the last village board meeting, Tr. Tim Desmond (Dist. 1), a business owner and father of six children, called for an end to health benefits for part-time elected officials, after another board member claimed that new board members elected last April were running up a tab of over $200,000.

Most village board members said they supported Desmond’s measure, which he requested be placed for further discussion on the Nov. 12 board agenda.

The actual figure budgeted for this year is $89,104, according to village finance director Brian Hanigan.

Getting rid of the mayor’s and trustees’ health benefits still wouldn’t solve the village’s deficit problem.

“It’s firefighters’ overtime, layoffs and street repairs,” Hanigan said.

Both meetings take place at Oak Lawn Village Hall, 9446 S. Raymond Ave. and are open to the public.