Orland Park Mayoral Election 2017 Preview

ORLAND PARK, IL - The current financial position of Orland Park has become a topic of contention during the 2017 mayoral race.

“Orland Park is in a very strong financial position,” said Mayor Dan McLaughlin, who is seeking his seventh term as village president/mayor. “At a time when the state, county and city of Chicago are struggling financially we have had a balanced budget for the last 24 years, Double A1 and Double A+ bond ratings from Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s. Strong balances in all of our funds. Very manageable debt only used for public improvement projects not balancing the budget.”

But it is the debt McLaughlin refers to as "manageable" that challenger Keith Pekau points to as the biggest issue facing Orland Park.

“Orland Park's long term debt has gone from $14M in 1998 to $158M today under the guise of a balanced budget,” said Pekau, who is seeking his first political office. “To solve the problem we need to be forthright to residents about our financial situation. Balancing the budget with a credit card, borrowing to give us a property tax rebate and claiming we don't have an issue will not help us solve the problem… To solve the problem you must identify it and be honest about it and develop a budget that is truly balanced without adding more debt.”

He says a focus on economic development and “bringing new industries to Orland Park and the region” are key.

Transparency has been another issue the two candidates can’t agree on.

McLaughlin boasts the “sense of teamwork” between him and the village board.

“I believe I foster a sense of teamwork to get things done and the board and myself have been strong proponents of transparency which earned us top honors from the Illinois Policy Institute and Ballotpedia,” he said. “With our record of improvements, the reputation Orland Park enjoys and no question of our ethics and I hope the public has come to trust me and our team for these reasons.”

Pekau, however, says transparency has been one of the incumbent’s many weaknesses.

“The current mayor and board does way too much businesses behind closed doors and does not have open debate,” he said. “Additionally, they use the Village's PR machine to give the resident's partial truths to make them feel good.”

The challenger disputes many of the mayor’s transparency claims including on the property tax rebate (“In reality the village has been borrowing money to give back a sliver to the property owner. On top of this, it's done right before the election,” Pekau said), that the property tax levy is flat (“In reality, our property tax rates are up 76% in the last decade”) and that property taxes are 7 cents on the dollar (“Yes, but 10 years ago they were 5 cents on the dollar”).

Pekau also claims McLaughlin “thinks that he is entitled to a massive increase in his pension from $25K to over $100K per year.”

“Elected officials are here to serve the community, not to personally and financially benefit from it,” he said. “I am a strong believer in term limits to significantly reduce the possibility of elected officials financially benefitting from their positions.”

But McLaughlin points to what he says is a “proven track record” as reason to elect him again.

“Orland Park continues to be a destination for business as well as families,” he said. “We are developing a downtown for Orland as well as developing the I-80 Corridor to diversify our tax base and produce better jobs. The University of Chicago's new medical center, Loyola with Palos Hospital adding a $133 million addition to the Primary Care Center along with Horton Insurance and Technical Publishers in the I-80 Corridor and we are certainly on our way to doing just that. We have built a unique quality of life as well with our parks, Open Lands program in addition to hundreds of acres of Forest Preserves and 165 miles of connecting bike/walking paths.”

He says his opponent has lived in Orland Park “for several years and has never gotten involved.”

If elected, Pelau would like to see the following things accomplished.

“A truly balanced budget where our (non-debt) revenue inflows are equal to or greater than what we spend… Property taxes that are truly flat or decreasing and that the Village's portion of our your tax bill has been reduced from it's current 7 cents on the dollar… A binding term limit referendum passed by the voters… Economic growth driven by new industries relocating into the Orland Park area… Significant capital reinvestment by the mall and other retail centers… A more engaged community and community organizations that are willing to advocated for their membership and constituency and not fearful of retribution… Village meetings that are taped, televised and available electronically for full transparency.”

McLaughlin said he will focus on the I-80 corridor if elected again.

“Going forward I have to say that seeing our downtown development through to fruition and the development of the I-80 Corridor would be my main focus and most important accomplishment for the future of Orland Park,” he said. “All of these large endeavors take years of work and dedication to a plan. I started the open lands program and to see the new nature center developed and opened would be equally satisfying.”

Pekau, a decorated Air Force combat veteran with three tours to Southern Iraq, says he is no career politician and has no desire to become one.

“My career, my business and my life is built on Integrity,” he said. “It has never been important for me to be liked, but it is important for me to be respected and viewed as being honest and having integrity.

“This broad base of experience, combined with my education background makes me uniquely qualified for the position of Village President/Mayor of Orland Park.”

McLaughlin, who was a village trustee for eight years before he was elected mayor for the first time in 1993, said the public “should know that my main concern for all of those years has been the betterment of Orland Park.”

“Fostering over $500 million in infrastructure improvements and facilities, growing and supporting the best police department in the state which is why we are one of the safest communities in the state,” he said. “In addition, constantly raising the bar on hiring the right people and supporting them with the latest technology and training has helped make Orland Park a leader in municipal government.”

About the Candidates:

Age: Incumbent McLaughlin is 63. Challenger Pekau is 50.
Party: Pekau is a Republican. McLaughlin is with the First Orland Party.
Both candidates describe themselves as fiscally conservative.
Family: Pekau - Wife - Betty, Daughter - Lisa, 31. Granddaughter, Maddie, 2., Son - Tim, 23, Daughter - Amanda, 21; McLaughlin - Patricia, wife, 4 children, 3 grandchildren
Education: McLaughlin - Brother Rice High School Moraine Valley Community College; Pekau - Bachelor's of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University, 1988. Master's Business Administration, Fuqua Scholar, 1997, Duke University, Fuqua School of Business.
Work: McLaughlin owned Universal Paving business from 1974 to 1991, Park Promotions from 1980 to 2000. Executive Director - Plumbing Contractors Association of Chicago and Cook County 1991 to 2012. Executive Director - Builders Association from 2013 to present. Pekau President/Owner - GroundsKeeper Landscape Care, LLC: 2003-present, Founding Partner - Fahrenheit Consulting Group, LLC: 2009-present, Senior Manager - LEK Consulting: 2000-2003, Senior Consultant - Marakon Consulting: 1998-2000, F-15E Instructor Weapons System Officer, USAF Officer, USAF: 1989-1998.
Website: Pekau, www.keith4mayor.com McLaughlin, http://firstorland.com/.