The Oak Lawn Village Board appointed a new member Tuesday to represent the first district, replacing Timothy Desmond who resigned in April to enter into a housing development contract with the village.
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Benjamin Warren was one of four applicants, three of whom showed up for scheduled interviews, for the open trustee position, Mayor Terry Vorderer said Thursday.
“It was a very difficult decision, but Benjamin has had an outstanding resume,” Vorderer said.
The mayor said as a veteran himself, Warren’s past experience as a drill sergeant in the military made him stick out among other applicants.
Warren is also a union carpenter, which Vorderer said could prove useful as the village considers building-related projects.
“I was looking for people that were committed to the community, had a stake in the community, had the qualifications necessary,” Vorderer said. “He seemed to be a very personable individual, was able to articulate positions and I felt he would be the best qualified.”
Desmond’s resignation allowed his home building company to partner with the village to restore dilapidated properties, with the goal of putting them back on the tax rolls. The village plans to acquire empty lots or properties with foreclosed or abandoned homes, tear them down and build new ones but struggled to find a building company willing to agree to its terms.
“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,” Village Manager Tom Phelan said at an April board meeting.
Phelan said he convinced Desmond, who had served on the board for 13 years, to resign to join the agreement with the village as a private citizen and business owner.
The District 1 seat is up for vote in April 2027, and Desmond was not eligible for reelection due to term limits. Warren will have to run to keep his position in that election.
“He’ll have to prove himself,” Vorderer said.
Under the contract the Village Board approved between Oak Lawn and Desmond’s company, Leeside Builders, 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.
Board schedule
The board also voted to bring consistency back to its meeting schedule, reversing course from the alternating times Vorderer said he initiated shortly after taking office in 2021.
Meetings will still be held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, but will be at 7:30 p.m. Before the change, Village Board meetings on the second Tuesdays of the month were at 9 a.m., while those on the fourth Tuesdays were at 7:30 p.m.
Vorderer said he originally hoped adding a morning time to the schedule would encourage more older people to attend, but said that didn’t happen.
“Even I would get confused,” he said, hoping more consistency will better serve those who want to attend.
During the summer months, Village Board meetings will only be the fourth Tuesday, with the next meeting at 7:30 p.m. on July 28, at 9446 S. Raymond Ave.