Worth Township official, a former legislator, gets feds’ attention in red-light camera probe

A Worth Township official who once served briefly as a state legislator and now moonlights as a sales consultant for a politically connected red-light camera contractor has been subpoenaed by federal authorities investigating the company’s activities.

John M. O’Sullivan, 51, of Oak Lawn, is Worth Township supervisor and previously served as the township’s Democratic committeeman.

O’Sullivan was chosen by Democratic party leaders in August 2010 to finish out the last four months of state Rep. Kevin Joyce’s unexpired term after Joyce resigned and moved to Florida. Sources said O’Sullivan is a close ally of the Joyce family, longtime political powerhouses in the 19th Ward.

At SafeSpeed, LLC, O’Sullivan’s job is finding municipalities that might want to hire the Chicago company to install and operate red light cameras in their communities – with the business and the towns splitting the revenues from tickets.

A single red light camera at some locations can generate more than a million dollars in annual revenue. SafeSpeed’s website says the company partners with more than 30 Illinois municipalities.

O’Sullivan declined comment when approached at his Oak Lawn home by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter. He referred questions to his attorney, George Becker, who confirmed his client had been subpoenaed.

“I don’t know that he’s a target,” Becker said. “I just know that he did receive a subpoena . . . he got one individually.”

The Sun-Times previously reported SafeSpeed is one of the focuses of a wide-ranging corruption probe that sent federal investigators fanning out across the suburbs on Sept. 26, serving warrants and subpoenas on officials in several communities.

O’Sullivan’s role with SafeSpeed is similar to another political operative who was questioned as part of that federal investigation.

Patrick Doherty, chief of staff to Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, told the Sun-Times last week he receives a “small percentage” from “every ticket that’s paid” in certain communities that use SafeSpeed’s red-light cameras.

Doherty confirmed speaking with federal investigators but said they didn’t ask him about red-light cameras.

Instead, they questioned him about a deal involving SafeSpeed investor Omar Maani through a separate company that got a federal grant from Cook County government to build low-income housing units in Cicero and Summit.

Federal agents also raided the village hall in McCook, where Doherty’s boss Tobolski is the mayor.

Separately, O’Sullivan also has been subpoenaed to give a deposition in a class action civil lawsuit against the village of Crestwood over its red light camera program. Lawyers in that case have sought information on whether Worth Township has hired family members of Crestwood government officials.

Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta was among several village officials contacted last week by federal investigators, village attorney David Sosin confirmed. Sosin said he did not know the subject matter.

Presta reported receiving a $1,000 campaign contribution from O’Sullivan’s consulting company in August.

O’Sullivan previously held several positions with Cook County government.

He was fired from his job at Stroger Hospital for allegedly falsifying his time cards, then rehired with back pay after successfully appealing. Later, he showed up on the payroll at the Cook County Forest Preserve but lost that job as well. Then, he landed a staff position with former county Commissioner Ed Moody.