Sandy Bury

Sandra Bury Kicks Off Re-Election Campaign for Second Term as Oak Lawn Mayor

I know nothing about her or the town. I avoid driving through there when I have been drinking, unless I am going to Chuck E Cheese.

By Lorraine Swanson (Patch Staff) 



OAK LAWN, IL -- Mayor Sandra Bury was among the early filers to submit their nomination petitions for the April 4, 2017 consolidated election. In doing so, Bury officially kicked off her reelection campaign as an independent candidate for village president/mayor of Oak Lawn.

"It has been an incredible privilege to serve the community I love as Mayor. These past four years have gone by very quickly, and there is much more work to be done." Bury said in a news release. "We have a great team in place."

Bury was first elected in 2013, running on a platform of increased transparency, fair share payments from Advocate Christ Medical Center in lieu of taxes, economic development and fiscal responsibility. She says she kept her promises to the taxpayers of Oak Lawn in her first term.

Under Bury's tenure, Oak Lawn is one of the few municipalities in Illinois that have actually lowered property taxes, her announcement release said..

"We are voting on Tuesday [Dec. 13] to approve the 2017 budget, which lowers the tax levy for the fourth year in a row,” the mayor said. “There is no justification to raise property taxes unless all other options are exhausted."

Bury said it has taken a team effort to do more with less. In addition to helping to negotiate a historic $3.2 million payment from Advocate Christ Medical Center, Bury claims that she and her team have grown the local economy, made job creation a priority, eliminated pensions for part-time politicians, have adopted a public policy for paying down debt, funding pensions and maintaining Oak Lawn's infrastructure.

Recently Standard & Poor's has increased Oak Lawn's rating after years of downgrades. Her Shop Oak Lawn initiative has been an important part of efforts to lower property taxes.

"The more revenue comes from other sources, the less that is needed from property taxes," she says.

The addition of Coopers Hawk, Mariano's and the other businesses at Stony Creek Promenade and throughout Oak Lawn have boosted sales tax revenue for the village and have made Oak Lawn a shopping destination for the surrounding area, according to Bury..

"It's about time that our neighbors are coming to Oak Lawn to shop for a change," she said.