West Cook News

When Keegan Goss first bought a home in the village of Hillside two years ago, he paid $6,300 in property taxes. Since then, the tax bill has increased to $9,000.

“That’s a huge increase,” Goss told West Cook News. “I don't know how people in Hillside are going to be able to afford to stay in their homes. If I knew the taxes were going to increase so drastically, I would have looked at homes in towns where I could have bought more for my money."

The 30% spike in property taxes led Goss to become a member of the neighborhood action group, Hillside Forward, where he discovered he isn’t the only disgruntled homeowner in town.

Hillside resident Keegan Goss | Provided

“Once I went to the meeting, I finally got a fence,” Goss said in an interview. “I had been calling and emailing Village Hall for months and never got a response about a fence. What do village workers do all day? Hillside is a small town with only 8,000 people so they can't be that busy.”

In addition to an increase in property taxes, members of the Hillside Forward group allege that Mayor Joseph Tamburino is using two village government employees, Evelyn and Len Belmonte, to work on the incumbent's political campaign.

Evelyn Belmonte works as the mayor's assistant while Len Belmonte is an inspector for the village.

“To have village employees who are paid by our taxes work on the mayor’s campaign seems like a conflict of interest because if you're going to have a political campaign, it should not be run with village resources that taxpayers are paying for,” Goss said. “It should be a separate entity that’s paid out of the mayor’s campaign funds.”

First elected in 1981, Tamburino has been mayor of Hillside for nearly 40 years. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Evelyn and Len Belmonte receive annual payments of $82,000 and $61,000, respectively, according to a Hillside Forward news release.

“I just got their political flyer for Mayor Tamburino’s campaign in the mail yesterday and the return address is to the Belmonte home,” Goss added.

The Hillside Forward member further alleges that as Tamburino’s assistant, Evelyn Belmonte coordinates the political organization Proviso Municipal League (PML) by having contributions mailed to her at Village Hall.

“They are using Village Hall to receive donations,” Goss said. “It's interesting that Tamburino is using Village Hall for his own interests and benefits and not worrying about the residents of Hillside. He’s overly confident about it and knows he can get away with it, which makes me feel like he's got strong connections everywhere. He is above the law.”

The village of Hillside website lists Tamburino as the secretary of the Proviso Municipal League. He is being challenged by Gwen Amber, who is trying to unseat the mayor in upcoming elections.

According to documents obtained by West Cook News, the Friends of Jeff Toboloski Committee mailed contributions to Village Hall for the Proviso Municipal League from July 2009 to March 2020. Toboloski is a former Cook County commissioner whom, the Chicago Sun-Times reports, admitted in federal court last year that he accepted about $250,000 in bribes and extortion payments.

"It’s concerning that someone who's been caught taking bribes is connected to this organization,” Goss said.

Goss, however, said he isn’t planning on selling his home or relocating.

“I can't afford to move today,” he said. “Hillside is a perfect location for my job at O’Hare Airport and I want to enjoy my new fence that was just put up.”