Feb. 18--The same politically connected firm that has printed Tinley Park's triannual village newsletter for about 10 years will continue to do so but at a price that potentially will save thousands of dollars as a result of town leaders seeking bids for the work.
Officials bid out the contract in January following Tribune reports detailing extensive ties between clouted businesses and Village Hall. A story in August revealed that Crossmark Printing, a company owned by Marty Ward, the mayor's most recent campaign manager, had received the newsletter contract without any competitive bidding since 2004.
Officials Tuesday night unveiled the results of the bids and Crossmark's was the lowest. But the process should ultimately result in a reduced cost for taxpayers.
Crossmark bid $11,210 to print a 28-page edition of the newsletter, $12,490 for 32 pages and $13,574 for 36 pages, officials said at a meeting of the town's finance committee.
Besides the base bid, Crossmark will charge Tinley Park $35 per hour for design and layout work, retouching photos, and other help putting together the Tinley Park Exchange newsletter.
Five other companies submitted bids, with the next lowest being KB Offset Printing from Pennsylvania.
In 2014, Tinley Park paid Crossmark Printing roughly $10,000 more per issue of the Exchange than the amount Crossmark bid in January, vendor reports show.
Village Manager Dave Niemeyer said the village doesn't expect to save $10,000 per issue due to the extra hourly costs, but said he expects there will be savings.
Trustee Dave Seaman, chair of the finance committee, said the village's decision to bid "absolutely" led to a lower cost.
"There's no doubt that the bid process, in most circumstances, helps sharpen pencils," he said.
Ward, in an email, said the company was able to reduce costs after negotiations with paper merchants and with the acquisition of new equipment and software.
He also said that his company's familiarity with the product allowed them to figure in a "professional discount" in their proposal.
"Crossmark Printing is honored to have been awarded this and it will be our pleasure to once again produce the Exchange for the village of Tinley Park," said Ward, who ran the campaign of Mayor Ed Zabrocki in 2013. "We take great pride in producing this newsletter."
Tinley Park has spent $1 million with Crossmark since 2004, and officials estimated that about half can be attributed to the Exchange. More than 100 other vendors combined received less than $700,000 for printing business in the same time frame, records show.
Crossmark wasn't the first politically connected firm to come under scrutiny in Tinley Park. A company run by the sister-in-law of the village's marketing director for years was given the job of decorating the town's train stations during holidays, the Tribune reported in early 2014. But the company was denied the contract last fall after it was the only bidder.
A flower shop owned by family of the mayor's secretary did $176,000 worth of business with the village, eight times more than the next competitor, the Tribune reported.
In 2011, Tinley Park awarded a garbage contract worth at least $24 million to a politically connected firm tied to a longtime commissioner, as documented by the Tribune.
In December, the Tribune reported on Ed Joe's Restaurant and Pizzeria, a local joint owned by an influential Tinley Park commissioner that received $119,000 in business from Tinley Park since 1989.
Besides bidding out the newsletter, village officials have begun the process of implementing reforms to the town's spending practices.
Earlier this month, Tinley Park officials proposed a new purchasing policy that could prevent politically connected firms from receiving exclusive business from the south suburb by ensuring that staff receive multiple quotes on certain purchases and hold periodic meetings with potential vendors around town.
The proposed policy, which needs final approval from the board, will also recommend that village staff "rotate the purchase" when buying from local businesses.
The town's actions have not gone unnoticed by residents. One man, Jim Salkas, came to the board meeting Tuesday to address an unrelated issue but he began his comments with a reference to recent changes.
"Let me congratulate the board for adopting a new purchasing policy, though I have a feeling the Tribune articles may have been the impetus for this change," Salkas said. "I'm not sure."
That comment went unacknowledged.
gpratt@tribpub.com
