Tinley Park board appoints two commanders, hears union vote of no confidence and moves to closed session

The Village of Tinley Park on Aug. 6 appointed Keith Sullivan as deputy police chief and Jonathan Mittelman as division police commander, approved municipal-code changes affecting police ranks, heard a publicized vote of no confidence from officers represented by the Metropolitan Alliance of Police chapter 192, and adjourned to executive session to discuss collective bargaining and personnel matters.

The board unanimously approved the appointment of Keith Sullivan effective Aug. 6 and later approved the appointment of Jonathan Mittelman. Trustee roll calls for both items recorded unanimous "yes" votes.

The appointments followed ordinances and code amendments brought forward by trustees to modify classifications and create an appointed position of police lieutenant and to allow former classified positions to return to the rank of sergeant. Those ordinances were described at the meeting as eligible for adoption after prior Committee of the Whole review and were adopted during the special meeting.

During the public-comment period Raymond Vialetto, identifying himself as a Tinley Park resident and a representative of the Metropolitan Alliance of Police chapter 192, said department members "signed a vote of no confidence against Chief Thomas Tilton and requested he be immediately removed." Vialetto told the board the vote listed 63 items and asked the trustees to take appropriate action.

Village Manager Pat Carr responded directly to that submission. "It is unfortunate that a no confidence vote was done tonight based on the personal economics and not in the best interest of the residents," Carr said. He outlined items he said the village had approved for the police department since 2019, described ongoing contract negotiations and cited an independent audit the village commissioned into overtime that, he said, found patterns of overtime abuse. Carr said overtime costs "have exceeded 15,000,000 over the past decade" and that "last year, the village spent almost 2,000,000 in overtime." He said the village offered a four-year pay increase in March that the union declined.

The board then approved a motion to adjourn into executive session. The motion cited collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees and discussion of the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees. The roll call to move into executive session was unanimous; trustees indicated the meeting would not reconvene afterward.

Discussion/Direction/Decision: The trustees approved the personnel appointments and code changes (formal actions). The board received public comment (discussion) from the union representative and a response from the village manager (direction/context). The board directed no public vote on the no-confidence submission during this meeting and moved into a closed session to address collective bargaining and personnel issues (formal direction to deliberate in private).

Questions and concerns raised during public comment — including the union's list of grievances and claims about leadership, morale and recruitment — were recorded in public comment and met with a public response from the village manager but did not result in additional public action during the meeting. The board's move to executive session indicates further deliberation will occur privately under the exceptions listed during the motion.

Ending: The village took formal steps to change police leadership and policy language and signaled it will address outstanding labor and personnel issues in a closed session. Any subsequent public actions or votes on the union's submission or on chief-level discipline would appear on a future public agenda if the trustees choose to take public action.