Economic development and the future of the former state mental health center property are the top issues for candidates running for three trustee seats in Tinley Park.
Incumbents Michael Mueller and William Brennan, along with Ken Shaw, who sits on the village’s Plan Commission, are running under the One Tinley Park ticket, while Trustee Diane Galante is seeking reelection as an independent.
Also running with Mueller, Brennan and Shaw is incumbent Clerk Nancy O’Connor, who is being challenged by Ahleah Balawender.
State property
Galante said the biggest concern she hears from residents is the dispute between the village and the Tinley Park-Park District regarding the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center property.
“We have always worked together,” said Galante, 57, who previously worked for BorgWarner in Frankfort. “It’s that property that has caused this division. We can’t have this division in our town.”
The village and park district are both seeking approval from the state to acquire the property, northwest of Harlem Avenue and 183rd Street. The land has environmental problems such as tainted soil, leaking underground storage tanks, asbestos and black mold. There would also be costs to demolish dozens of buildings as part of any redevelopment.
More Top Picks Ryobi Ry142300
The village would like to see the 280-acre site redeveloped for entertainment uses that could generate substantial property and sales tax revenue.
The Park District is proposing uses including multipurpose athletic fields and a domed sports complex with a full-size soccer field. Regional youth sports tournaments could be held at the site, according to the district.
Galante said what the park district has proposed “is perfect for this town.”
Having the ability to host sports tournaments could bring in visitors from Illinois and surrounding states would help generate tax revenue for Tinley Park, she said.
“Our hotels would fill up,” Galante said. “The village would benefit greatly from it.”
O’Connor, 63, was appointed clerk in January 2022. She said village officials want to see “something that is going to generate revenue for the village to keep our taxes at a relatively good level.”
While not a voting member of the Village Board, O’Connor has been a staunch advocate of prodding the state to clean up the shuttered mental health hospital and adjacent Howe Developmental Center.
The dual interest in the property has caused a rift between village and park district officials. The village scheduled its own Fourth of July fireworks show, causing the park district to cancel its longtime event. The park district was cut off from agreements with the village to buy commodities such as fuel and road salt at discount prices through volume discount prices.
Balawender, 35, a physician assistant with the Cook County Health and Hospitals System, said “petty politics” are behind the dispute.
“There is no legitimate reason for the village to have its own fireworks show and everyone knows it,” she said. “I am running to put the needs of Tinley Park residents first because our residents deserve better than petty political gamesmanship.”
Economic development
Mueller, 43, a software architect, said that maintaining a low tax rate and promoting economic development are among the priorities for the One Tinley group.
Brennan, 37, elected with Mueller in 2019, owns a State Farm agency in La Grange and Shaw, 55, is a U.S. Army veteran and works as an internal audit director at Argosy Group, a Chicago insurance underwriting firm, according to One Tinley.
“We really do bring a complete package,” Mueller said. “We’re in this for the long run, we’re invested in this community.”
An Amazon Fresh store on Harlem Avenue south of 159th Street is scheduled to open in late summer or early fall, while a Pete’s Fresh Market, also planned for Harlem, is expected to get underway next year, Mueller said.
“We are working to keep taxes low but we want to make sure the important stuff is being taken care of, like public safety,” Mueller said.
O’Connor said during the past two years, 183 new businesses came to Tinley Park.
“We are fostering a very positive business environment, we are drawing people in,” she said.
O’Connor said she is proud to have worked on a recent decision by the Village Board to do away with the requirement of having village vehicle stickers. Revenue from the program has declined and can be made up through others sources, she said.
“We wanted to do something as a goodwill gesture for residents,” the clerk said. “This makes a difference to a lot of people.”
Party split
Galante, Mueller and Brennan were elected four years ago with the One Tinley Park slate, but Mueller said Galante had distanced herself from the One Tinley group, and was not slated to run with the ticket this year. Mueller said Galante and the party have had differences since her election.
Mueller said it was a decision Galante made, that “being part of a team was not a priority for her.”
Galante said her running mates “took a different direction that I don’t agree with.”
In January of last year, Galante received a public reprimand from fellow trustees after the findings of an ethics complaint showed she “demonstrated a strong lapse in judgment” by disclosing confidential information regarding the village’s defense against some lawsuits.
Galante said last week she did nothing wrong.
More Top Picks Thermometers Soils
“I never leaked anything,” she said.
Campaign finance disclosure reports show that, at the end of last year, One Tinley ended 2022 with $123,000 available to spend. Since then, according to reports, the committee has taken in more than $87,000 in contributions.
There were no separate campaign reports for Galante as state election records show her still part of the One Tinley organization.
Balawender organized her A Better Tinley Park committee Feb. 4, starting with $4,900 available to spend on the campaign, according to an election board filing.