Longtime Oak Lawn Village Board member Timothy Desmond has resigned from his post to enter into a contract with the village through his home building company to restore dilapidated properties, with the goal of putting them back on the tax rolls.
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“I want to make sure that the public is aware that the reason for the resignation is a very good one,” Village Manager Thomas Phelan said at Tuesday morning’s meeting. Desmond was not present, having submitted his letter of resignation April 20.
Phelan said the village became interested in acquiring empty lots or properties with foreclosed or abandoned homes, to tear them down and build new ones, but struggled to find a building company willing to agree to its terms.
Desmond’s company, Leeside Builders, has been the second largest home builder in Oak Lawn for the past 20 years, Phelan said. Desmond said the company has constructed about 20 houses within the village.
“We put together a program, a construct if you will, where we would work with a general contractor, and there’s limitations on what they can make,” Phelan said. “We did talk to two or three builders and they said, ‘No, if you want us in, we’re all in. We want to take it all.'”
Under the contract with Leeside Builders, approved 4-0 Tuesday, the company is eligible to receive up to 40% of any profit made from the sale of homes it constructs. The village will hold on to the remaining 60%, and whoever buys the home will receive property tax breaks for 10 years.
“So it’s a very attractive thing for a new home buyer, attracting young, new families,” Phelan said. “We’re hearing all over about the housing shortage, so we saw a possibility here of getting problem properties back on the tax rolls, helping the neighbors that live around it.”
Phelan said he convinced Desmond, who been on the board for 13 years, to resign to join the agreement with the village as a private citizen and business owner. Desmond’s seat is up for election in April 2027, and he was not eligible for reelection due to term limits.
Desmond’s company and the village will work together to construct and sell two homes as a test of whether the program works, Phelan said. The village owns as many as 12 properties that are off the tax rolls and could eventually be turned around and sold if the first two efforts are successful.
Desmond said even if Leeside Builders doesn’t profit off of the homes it constructs, he’s excited for the opportunity to help increase the housing supply in Oak Lawn. He said he’s noticed a slowdown in home building over the past few years due to a variety of factors, including high construction costs and property taxes.
“We’re getting new families in, new houses built on properties that are not generating any tax revenue,” Desmond said. “I’ve lived in Oak Lawn for almost 40 years, been a trustee for 13 years, I want to see the village do well.”
Trustee Bud Stalker said Desmond was the right person to represent the village’s District 1 for the past 13 years, “and he’s the right man for this job, doing housing improvements.”
“He’ll be sorely missed,” Stalker said.
Mayor Terry Vorderer also expressed support for Desmond’s resignation in order to contract with Oak Lawn, and he encouraged those who live within District 1 and are interested in serving the rest of Desmond’s term to send their resumes to the village’s administration office by May 20. He will conduct interviews and appoint an interim board member soon after, he said.
Vorderer said he hopes to speak with each person who seeks the position.
“I would like to see somebody dedicated to the community, somebody that has expressed, volunteered in some of the civic organizations, maybe in their churches — somebody that’s committed to the village,” Vorderer said.
Desmond said he hopes the person who takes his place shares his goal of attracting more businesses and families. He said he’s proud to have served as a point person for residents to ensure their needs are addressed, and will continue helping them as needed.
“I enjoyed working as a trustee for the last 13 years, and hopefully I can keep contributing by taking on this project,” he said.