Tinley Official Tried To Stop Low-Income Housing Project: Report

TINLEY PARK, IL —Tinley Park's Jacob Vandenberg withdrew his support of a low-income housing project, directed a planning employee to stop the project, then fired her after she refused to do it, making her a scapegoat in the controversy that ensued, according to witness statements recorded in a Cook County Sheriff's Office Community Inspector General report.

The report does not draw conclusions, but outlines what employees and participants familiar with the controversial project, known as The Reserve, said happened behind the scenes. The report is from 2016 and had not been available to the public until now.

Vandenberg could not be reached for comment. However, he told the Daily Southtown that he had not seen the report and never spoke with investigators. He suggested the release of the report was motivated by politics.

“I understand my political opponents may have a draft of the incomplete report which they are using portions of to further their political agenda. I cannot and will not comment any further on the report that even Sheriff Tom Dart has not put his signature on,” he said to the Southtown.

The village asked the inspector general to investigate three years ago after the planning commission set aside a vote to approve the project that until then had been anticipated to pass. The inspector general dropped its investigation after the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in and filed a lawsuit against the village alleging it violated the Fair Housing Act by quashing the project.

The lawsuit was settled in 2018.

The lawsuit has since become an embarrassment to Tinley officials and residents, and is a flashpoint for this year's trustee election.

The Reserve was a 47-unit complex planned for 183rd and Oak Park Avenue developed by Buckeye Community Hope Foundation. It was designed to serve primarily African-Americans and families with children to bring affordable housing stock to Tinley. The project was not popular with many residents.

In the inspector general's report obtained by Patch, Amy Connolly, the planning director who was placed on leave, said that Mayor David Seaman and Vandenberg, who was a trustee and member of the planning commission at the time, supported the project early on. However, by January 2016, she was contacted by Vandenberg, who told her to kill The Reserve project and to advise the other planning commissioners and trustees to do the same.

Connolly declined because the project complied with all village codes and ordinances. She was put on paid administrative leave and the village sued her for "misleading" trustees about zoning codes. The suit was later dropped.

Village attorney Tom Melody provided investigators with similar details and said he warned village officials not to stop the project.

He said that he advised staff and trustees that they could not legally turn down the project if it complied with all codes and the only reason for turning it down was that it would house African-Americans.

He said he may have spoken to some of the planning commissioners before the meeting and did tell them that they cannot deny the project because of low income tenants. In his statement, Melody said that he recalled that trustee Michael Pannitto asked whether the village needed an expert attorney to defend the village from a possible lawsuit by Buckeye, and was researching legal defenses. Melody added that executive session meetings held by the board, but that they were "unfocused and scattered," and did not address the issue of the reserve. Melody said attorneys representing Buckeye contacted him after meeting where the issue was tabled, but said that the trustees ignored responding at the time.

Melody also said that he and Connolly were made scapegoats and were treated unfairly. Melody was removed from his position as village attorney in 2016.

As part of the $410,000 settlement, the village $360,000 in damages to Connolly. The remaining $50,000 was paid toward a U.S. civil penalty.

This is a developing story. Please check back for more.