VIDEO: Special Oak Lawn Village Board Meeting - updated

Discussion and vote on an ethics ordinance from April 26, 2013.

UPDATED -- Per the request of a reader, we have added Mayor Dave Heilmann's entire remarks from the April 26, 2013 meeting. A special meeting of the Oak Lawn Village Board was called for Friday, April 26, after Trustee Bob Streit (Dist. 3) alleged that he was barred from placing an ethics ordinance on the regular board agenda earlier in the week "out of political retribution." The new ethics ordiance would bar the hiring or appointment of former elected officials two years after leaving office. Friday's special meeting was not televised, but Patch and several other audience members were recording the proceedings on video. The meeting lasted approximately nine minutes. Some of Mayor Dave Heilmann's remarks were edited for time, but Trustee …

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Oak Lawn Gal

3:32 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013

Andy it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I agree - if Dr Bury and the board repeal this, it will look bad for her. But honestly, I think it's a good ordinance. If there was a deal with Phelan for any new position in OL government, it would put a wrench in that though.   more ›

Special Village Board Meeting Called To Hear Ethics Ordinance

The Oak Lawn Village Board will meeting at 6 p.m. tonight (Friday) to discuss a proposed ethics ordinance barring the hiring or appointment of former elected officials for two years after their term ends.

Claiming that their proposed ethics ordinance was barred from Tuesday’s village board agenda out of political retribution, Oak Lawn Trustees Bob Streit (Dist. 3) and Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) have called for a special board meeting at 6 p.m. tonight (Friday) at village hall. The proposed ethics ordinance would prohibit the hiring or appointment of former elected officials for a period of two years after official’s term of office ends, pursuant to state law. Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and follow us on Facebook. Village Manager Larry Deetjen told Patch that the oridinance missed last week's Tuesday cutoff date for placement on the agenda. Items that come in after the regular deadline are considered on a case-by-case basis. …

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

Mayoral challenger Dr. Sandra Bury wins endorsements of four independent trustee candidates including two incumbents, who "collectively pledge to put the interests of Oak Lawn taxpayers first."

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. Sign up for Oak Lawn Patch breaking news alerts. 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…

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Joanne M. Pripusich

2:40 pm on Sunday, March 31, 2013

If he doesn't live in Oak Lawn, he should not be allowed to run   more ›

Judge Tosses Unity Party Lawsuit Against Mayor

United they stand, divided they fall, former Unity Party slate members' attempts to recoup campaign funds controlled by mayor fails in court.

A Cook County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Oak Lawn Mayor Dave Heilmann and Trustee Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) that alleged both had absconded with campaign funds belonging to the former Unity Party. Subscribe to the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. Village Clerk Jane Quinlan and Trustees Alex Olejniczak (Dist. 2), Tom Duhig (Dist. 4) and Tom Phelan (Dist. 6)—the mayor’s former Unity Party slatemates—filed a lawsuit in February 2011 in which they claimed $25,929 in campaign funds were improperly transferred by the mayor to his village board ally, Carol Quinlan. Judge Mary Mikva said in her order of dismissal on June 28 that the plaintiffs did not present any facts that would suggest there was a “fiduciary duty …

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Lawyers, Lost Dogs and Commuter Horror: Feedback Friday

A weekly update to help you keep up with the news updates and conversation on Oak Lawn Patch's Facebook page and what O-L Patch users are saying in the comments section.

Oak Lawn Patch readers had plenty to say about news topics this week and we’re especially vocal on our Facebook Page. We’ve had some great feedback. Many thanks to the 923 fans who’ve joined the Patch revolution on Facebook. A tanker truck tipped over on I294 in the southbound lanes between 95th Street and 127th Street/Cicero. The Tri-State was shut for several hours on Tuesday, diverting a convoy of big rigs down 95th Street not seen since C.W. McCall’s one-hit wonder "Convoy." Carol Ellis Sheahan – “My friend was trapped on 294 for 5.5 hours with a 7yr old, 6yr old and a one-year old. No food, no "potty", almost out of gas, etc. She said it was just awful!” Christina Pender – “You want a horror story I'll give you a horror story! I was …

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Some Trustees Caught By Surprise in Village Attorney Switch

Trustee Carol Quinlan says village board had no chance to discuss village manager's appointment of new village attorneys. Process should have been "more transparent."

Trustee Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) criticized the way she and other Oak Lawn village board members were informed of the change in village attorneys last month, saying she had to ask the village manager what was happening after receiving his “convoluted email.” Village Manager Larry Deetjen informed the village board on Feb. 29 that he had appointed new legal counsel, saying he had the power to make such appointments under the managerial form of village government. Deetjen was out of the country and did not attend at last Tuesday's village board meeting. Do you think the village has too many attorneys? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS. The village switched attorneys last month, after Paul O’Grady and his government litigation group left Querrey and …

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Oak Lawn Pet Owners Face New Ordinances

Village Board amends municipal animal control ordinance introducing new requirements and stiffer fines for violations.

The Oak Lawn Village Board amended the municipal animal control ordinance stiffening fines for such violations as unleashed pets and limiting the number of cats and dogs to three per household. The amendments were spurred by an incident last summer involving an Oak Lawn man who was badly bitten by a German shepherd running loose through the neighborhood. Trustees unanimously approved the changes at their first board meeting of the year on Tuesday. “Two residents have come up to me after having been attacked by dogs,” Trustee Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) said. “From the feedback I’ve been receiving since then it seems to be a significant problem in Oak Lawn.” Quinlan, who requested the changes, said the revised rules aren’t meant to punish …

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Oak Lawn Trustees Approve $5 Million ‘No-Bid’ Contract

Village board waives formal bidding process for street resurfacing.

The Oak Lawn Village Board voted to waive bidding for the village’s summer street resurfacing, awarding a $5 million contract to K-Five Construction Corporation of Lemont. Village Manager Larry Deetjen told the board that K-Five has held the village's street resurfacing contract for the past three years. The company is already mobilized on Central Avenue doing road construction for the Illinois Department of Transportation. “I have a problem with this not going out to bid,” Trustee Carol Quinlan (5th) said. “I know they’ve done a great job for Oak Lawn. I just think when you’re looking at dollar amounts this large, you should go out to bid.” Deetjen said the village would save about $150,000 because K-Five has held the costs on labor and …

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Uh Oh

2:57 pm on Saturday, May 21, 2011

Andy Who is the concrete sub contractor? Is it a local?   more ›

Village Trustees Take Oath of Office

The cast of characters on the Oak Lawn Village Board remains the same, at least until 2013.

It was a wild election season of lawyers, electoral board hearings, an aborted referendum petition, and a stunning near-upset by a write-in candidate – but the cast of characters on the Oak Lawn Village Board remains the same, at least until 2013. Oak Lawn trustees took their oath of office for another four-year term at Tuesday’s village board meeting. The tone of acceptance speeches was conciliatory, filled with hugs and even a few buses on the cheek as the newly sworn in incumbents pledged to work together for the betterment of Oak Lawn. Trustees Jerry Hurckes (Dist. 1), Bob Streit (Dist. 3) and Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) were sworn in by Oak Lawn Village Clerk Jane Quinlan. Each thanked their families for putting up with their absences …

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Editor's Notebook

Election Rewind

Final wrap on Tuesday's elections.

Kudos goes out to the Dan Sodaro and his supporters for their public awareness campaign that brought some semblance of democracy back to Oak Lawn. After Tuesday, at least 730 Oak Lawn residents – perhaps a few more – now know how to cast a write-in ballot. Five votes still separate Sodaro from Trustee Bob Streit in the village board’s "ain't over til it's over" 3rd District race. Even if Sodaro isn’t able to dig up six more voters after the Cook County Clerk canvasses the write in ballots, it has to be discomforting for the incumbent to know that half of his constituents don’t like the job he's doing. I’ve seen most of the tapes from electronic write-in ballots in the 3rd District precincts and there isn’t a Homer Simpson, Mickey Mouse or…

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QC

10:13 am on Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Bob You still haven't paid your friend Brennan for your friend, li'l andy, who both did your "Dirty Work"? You said "I haven't, I haven't really discussed it with him". Really? Oh, that's right....Brennan is putting the bill on Dan and Lynn. Lying Scum.   more ›