Orland Park Residents To Vote On Dueling Video Gaming Referendums

ORLAND PARK, IL -- Orland Park residents will have dueling referendums to vote on when they go to the polls in Illinois’s upcoming March gubernatorial primary. The village board passed a measure on Thursday during a special meeting to put a question on the ballot of whether the village should approve and license video gaming -- with restrictions. Another similar referendum has also been placed on the ballot by citizens opposed to gambling, including video gaming.

In 2009, the Orland Park Village Board passed an ordinance prohibiting video gaming terminals in the village. However, declining tax revenue has caused board members to reconsider the ordinance, claiming the village lost $1.2 million in sales tax revenue, mainly due to online shopping. Several village trustees and the mayor grumbled that their hand is being prematurely forced by an anti-gambling citizens group, which counts the village clerk John Mehalek among its ranks.

“We talked about it as a board. We got feedback from residents and we put together a draft,” Tr. James Dodge said. “We were working on that policy when in my opinion, this became overtly political for future use.”

Citizens opposed to video gaming submitted a petition with 2,100 signatures to the Cook County Clerk’s Office on Dec. 18 to place their own referenda question on the March primary ballot, which reads:

“Shall the Village of Orland Park prohibit video gaming within the corporate limits of the village?”

For the past several months, the mayor and trustees have been drafting an ordinance that places several restrictions for local bars and restaurants with bars that opt to offer video gaming in their establishments. Part of that process has involved town halls to garner public input. A second town hall is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Orland Park Village Board contends their referendum question more accurately reflects the issue at hand:

“Should the Village of Orland Park approve and license video game [sic] within the village for those establishments, limited in number by village holding Class A liquor licenses and having conducted business for at least 18 consecutive months with signage conforming to the village code?”

“[The village board referendum] is the only one I’ll be paying attention too. “I think that’s the message to people of what we’re really voting on,” Mayor Keith Pekau said, who claims not to have seen the citizens’ referendum question. “The other is not what we’re voting on. My understanding [of the citizens’ referendum is that it’s for an ordinance that already exists. Why would we get a referendum for something that already exists.”

Local business owners also addressed the board, urging board members to vote on the proposed ordinance rather than allowing it to go to a referendum. Bill Pappas, owner of Coach’s Corner Bar and Grill, an employee for Accel Entertainment, a licensed provider of video gaming and slot machines in Illinois, admitted that he favored bringing video gaming to Orland Park. Pappas accused the anti-gaming group of waging a “fake news” campaign when passing its petition to place the citizens’ question on the ballot. He told the village board to take a stand.

“Small family businesses in Orland Park are suffering and cannot compete against corporate franchises or our fellow small businesses in surrounding communities,” Pappas said. “We, the small family businesses are asking for video gaming to help level the playing field.”

An anti-gaming opponent Jim Moulby said he had substantive proof from a university study with statistics showing that gaming leads to increased crime.

“I reviewed the proposed question that you now wish to place on the March ballot alongside the people’s question,” Moulby said. “Is your intent to confuse the voter once they’re in the voter kiosk because I, myself, am confused.”

Dodge said the citizens’ referendum question was final, according to the county clerk’s office. None of the board members claimed to have seen it, although Mehalek provided a copy to Patch after the meeting. Mehalek said he collected a lot of signatures on the petition.

Other board members also felt like the issue was being rushed. Although the referendum is advisory, they said would abide by the will of the people.

“You have to vote yes-no in reverse. That’s confusing,” Tr. Dan Calandriello said. “The outcome is decided by residents. We can’t do anything here. We’re stuck with it.”

Pekau detailed what he described as the “hijacking” process in an unprecedented move by the village clerk to place the issue on the board’s agenda in November.

“How do we acknowledge the efforts of well meaning signature collectors who are passionate about the issue, while at the same time recognizing that the ballot question does not represent what were deliberating and that some who signed it now feel duped,” the mayor said. “It’s this kind of political maneuvering that we’ve come to see in Springfield and Washington and has no place in Orland Park.”