More than 50 people packed the dining room of a Tinley Park restaurant Tuesday night, rallying in support of Mayor Michael Glotz as he seeks a second term, along with his One Tinley Park slate.

Families gathered around tables draped in checkered tablecloths, sipping drinks and enjoying a buffet spread at the Italian eatery. Others crowded the bar or squeezed between tables, drink in hand, chatting with friends and fellow supporters.

When Glotz walked in around 7:50 p.m., the room erupted in applause, with his supporters rising to their feet, clapping and cheering.

Unofficial results show Glotz leading with 59.7% of the vote over Michael Maloney, a former union executive, with all precincts reporting.

Also ahead was Glotz’s One Tinley Park slate, which includes Village Clerk Nancy O’Connor with 58.8% of the vote over Cynthia “Cindy” O’Boyle.

Trustees William Brady, Dennis Mahoney and Colleen Sullivan held significant leads. Brady had 5,369 votes according to unofficial results, followed by Sullivan with 5,276 votes and Mahoney with 5,113.

Maloney led the Tinley Together slate, running with O’Boyle and trustee candidates Melissa Sanfilippo, who had 3,788 votes, Matthew Walsh with 3,753 votes and Eric Schmidt with 3,512.

Backed by Glotz for park board were Lisa Butler, David Viglielmo and Donald Sachnoff, while Maloney’s slate supports Marie Ryan, Lisa O’Donovan and Don Cuba.

Butler led with 4,257 votes, according to unofficial results, followed by Donovan with 4,119, and Ryan with 4,092.

Cuba trails behind with 3,256 votes, followed by Viglielmo with 3,214 and Sachnoff with 3,173.

Glotz, 55, elected in April 2021, is a member of Operating Engineers Local 150.

Maloney, 66, is the former president of Pipefitters Local 597 and was named by the Tinley Park-Park District last year to oversee remediation of the 280-acre former Tinley Park Mental Health Center, which the Park District plans to redevelop for recreation uses.

Key issues

When casting their vote for mayor, Tinley Park voters said property taxes, a police contract and improving park district relations are top of mind.

Several voters who supported the One Tinley Park slate expressed satisfaction with Glotz’s work in the village, praising his efforts to maintain the property tax levy, his outreach to seniors after reassessments shifted much of the tax burden from businesses to homeowners and the sense of safety they feel.

Some voters expressed concerns about Maloney’s campaign, citing a lack of trust due to the involvement of state Sen. Michael Hastings and state Rep. Bob Rita, who both made significant contributions to the Tinley Together campaign.

Other voters who supported the Tinley Together slate cited tensions with the Park District and the police contract as key factors, including Maggie Garrity, the wife of a Tinley Park police officer, who said the lack of a contract was the main reason she voted for Maloney.

In a video posted on the Tinley Together Facebook page, Walsh, former Tinley Park police chief and running on Maloney’s slate, said police officers have gone more than 700 days without a raise and have been without a new contract for a year.

Kathy and Rick Gutierrez, who are fairly new to the village, said they are not very familiar with the town’s politics, but Maloney showed up to their doorstep and they appreciated the old school method of door-to-door canvassing.

George and Joan Crosse, neighbors of Maloney, said he has the village’s best interests at heart. The couple also said they were not fond of the messaging from One Tinley Park, feeling it focused too much on attacking the opposition.

“I think the issue with the Park District and the mayor’s office really not speaking, that’s kind of disturbing,” Joan Crosse said. “I think they should all get along in those capacities.”

Glotz makes $32,000 as village president, according to the village’s 2024 compensation report. The village president receives compensation that is set from “time to time” by the Village Board, and payments are made monthly, according to the village code.

smoilanen@chicagotribune.com