Dist. 3 Trustee Candidate J.J. Zurek Says He's Not A Plant

J. John “J.J.” Zurek asserts he is not a plant to help incumbent Bob Streit get re-elected by leading votes away from challenger Scott Hollis in the upcoming Oak Lawn Board of Trustees election.

“I find it absolutely amazing that after having a career in public service, and I have been a resident of Oak Lawn for 20 years, all of a sudden I’m a spoiler between Streit and Hollis,” Zurek said. “I didn’t go in to stop Hollis from winning, I went in to stop him myself, and hopefully on election day I can stop whoever is there.”

Zurek said he’s running for the District 3 seat on the board to keep the residents of the third district from missing out on representation because of the board’s personal feelings for their incumbent trustee.

Zurek is a retired chief of operations for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, where he held the civil service rank of captain. He was chief of staff to state Rep. Edmund E. Kornowicz for five years, and he’s currently a board member for the Cook County Sheriff Memorial Foundation.

He said he’s considered in federal courts to be an expert in correctional law. Zurek is now a licensed real estate broker.

His experience in law enforcement has left Zurek with a strong penchant for rules and justice, which could explain his aggravation at the implication that he’s a plant. He said he doesn’t believe in smear campaigns or badmouthing, and he believes his background in criminal justice will keep the board honest.

Issues in Zurek’s headlights include the money spent on the development at 111th and Cicero, the authority of the village manager and the outsourcing of the emergency communication center.

As for his opponents, Zurek said he’s paid more money in water bills to Oak Lawn than Hollis has earned in his two years living in the village.

“Why he’s even in the race is beyond me,” Zurek said. “I don’t know, he almost sounds like a spoiled brat or whatever, but if he were to move to Chicago Ridge or Burbank instead of Oak Lawn, would he be there two years and then run for local office? I don’t know.”

He said Streit should turn to the state’s attorney’s office for backup, to look into “sweetheart deals” and to support his arguments against the board. And that’s what Zurek intends to do.

“I have attended fundraisers for Trustee Streit and I wrote him checks, and I think he’s doing the best he can do under these circumstances,” Zurek said. “But I think I have more intestinal fortitude than he does.”

Heading into the campaign and the possibility of becoming District 3 trustee, Zurek said his mission is to treat everyone fairly and equitably.

“If you’re rich or poor, educated or not, you should be treated with a lot of dignity until you cause someone not to treat you that way.”

Elections will be held in the odd-numbered districts for the Oak Lawn Village Board on April 7, 2015.

More about J.J.:

Name: J. John “J.J.” Zurek
Position sought: District 3 trustee
E-mail address: dblj@aol.com
Cell phone: 708-638-3095

Personal Information:

• Family: Married for 40 years to wife, Barbara. They have one daughter who works as a registered nurse.
• Time living in Oak Lawn: Since 1990
• Education: Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a minor in psychology from University of Illinois, Circle Campus
• Political party affiliation, if any: N/A

Photo provided by J.J. Zurek.

Candidates participating in the April 7, 2015 Oak Lawn Board of Trustees election:

District 1

• Tim Desmond (incumbent)
• Cynthia Trautsch

District 3

• Robert Streit
• Scott Hollis
• J. John “JJ” Zurek

District 5

• Bud Stalker
• Dan Johnson