The Results of Unchecked Authority in Orland Park’s Government

Under Mayor Pekau and his hand-picked, rubber-stamp trustees, I believe that Orland Park exemplifies an alarming shift toward an Aggressive/Defensive organizational culture. Bypassing the council-manager system, the mayor has centralized power, eliminating traditional checks and balances.

Four Key Problems:

1. Authority Without Accountability. Decision-making is concentrated in the mayor, with weakened mechanisms for review or correction. I believe that his lack of accountability has fostered arbitrary and self-serving decisions, allowing errors and systemic issues to persist unchecked.
   
   
2. Power Without Expertise. Professional managers with technical expertise appear to be sidelined. Complex issues are oversimplified, and political agendas prioritized.
   
   
3. Control Without Systems. I believe that established processes have often been replaced by ad hoc decisions, reducing transparency and consistency. This dependency on personalities undermines operational efficiency, disrupts institutional memory, and increases vulnerability to errors.
   
   
4. Leadership Without Constraints. Without checks and balances, I believe that decisions have prioritized personal or political interests over public needs. The absence of institutional guardrails creates risks of overreach and abuse, leading to inefficiency and erosion of public trust.

Current Examples:

• Missing Financial Reports: The village has failed to file audited financial reports for 2021 and 2022, prompting intervention from the Illinois Comptroller. Rather than addressing the issue, the mayor responded with a formal rebuke, diverting focus from the problem.
  
  
• Lack of Crime Data: Orland Park did not submit 2021 and 2022 crime statistics in the updated FBI format.
  
  
• Opaque Capital Projects: The bandshell project advanced with minimal public notice or involvement. Good practices would have included regular updates, public meetings, and accessible communication via the website and social media.

I believe that Mayor Pekau’s aggressive behavior and misuse of village resources to attack critics exacerbate these issues. As a result, public trust is eroding, as evidenced by widespread dissatisfaction on platforms like NextDoor-Orland Park. And widespread employee frustration, as witnessed by the police and AFSCME workers endorsing his opponent (as of 22 February 2025). Without systemic reforms, which won’t occur under the current mayor and trustees, government inefficiency and mistrust will continue to grow.

That is why I am working with the "Orland Park for All" slate. I am confident that this non-partisan team—comprising two Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent—has the professionalism, skills, and temperament to implement the systematic reforms our village needs. Their qualifications are exactly what is required to restore effective governance. Moreover, they bring access to professional organizational change expertise and are committed to consulting with both internal and external professionals as needed. Unlike the current administration, they will avoid abrupt, uninformed decisions and instead prioritize thoughtful, well-informed actions that consider long-term consequences.

Darold Barnum, PhD, MBA, is Emeritus Professor of Management and Decision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Founding Co-Director of the University of Illinois Center for Human Resource Management. Much of his consulting and research involved improving the performance of local governments.