Tinley Park board members | Facebook
Tinley Park board members | Facebook
Tensions were on the rise as the Tinley Park Board of Trustees were once again left debating the May dismissal of Trustee Diane Galante from a board meeting after she raised questions about a recent FOIA request regarding the incident.
In May, Galante was dismissed from a board meeting by a vote of her fellow board members after Mayor Michael Glotz addressed issues surrounding a police report she filed claiming he intimidated her during a board meeting, according to a Southland Journal report. Glotz denied her allegations and was supported by other board members, according to the report, which also noted that a resident had an issue with Galante’s conduct.
At the board's Nov. 1 meeting, Galante continued to make allegations and interrupted Clerk Nancy O’Connor several times.
“You continue to support people who literally have no morals and insult the ones who have worked so hard to gain control of this property so we can put a development out there that would literally change the face of Tinley Park,” O’Connor said to Galante during the session, which was streamed on YouTube. “And here you sit and attack us for doing that and support the very, very man who has fought against us for years in gaining control of that property. I think you've really shown your true colors tonight.”
During the meeting, Galante discussed the FOIA request she made, claiming she has not received any results. She also claimed fellow board members have prevented her from speaking to residents at meetings and isn’t brought in to executive sessions, leveling allegations of harassment by the rest of the board.
When Galante repeatedly interrupted O’Connor as she tried to respond to her complaints, Glotz stepped in to remind Galante that the clerk wasn’t timed and asked her to refrain from interrupting her.
O’Connor assured Galante that her fellow board members were not harassing her or talking about her family and the clerk took aim at Galante’s allegations, maintaining that she wasn’t working for the good of the board or the village.
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