Orland Park man claims pending fire commission ouster due to act of political retribution
ORLAND PARK, Ill. — An Orland Park man believes he is being removed from the Orland Fire Protection District’s Board of Fire Commissioners because of an act of political retribution.
Glenn Kraemer, 54, was initially appointed to the Orland Fire Protection District’s Board of Fire Commissioners in November 2018.
“I wanted to serve the community and the hardworking first-responders,” he said.
Since then, he attended numerous oaths of office and promotions ceremonies, as well as fundraising events for the fire district and the firefighters.
But on April 27, Kraemer said he received a letter from OFPD Fire Chief Michael R. Schofield informing him that the OFPD Board of Trustees did not renew his appointment.
“Therefore, effective immediately, you will no longer serve on the Board of Fire Commissioners,” the letter stated.
For Kraemer, the letter from Schofield was first time he had heard of potentially being removed from the fire commission.
“It came out of nowhere, considering it was never discussed at a trustee meeting,” Kraemer said.
The next day, April 28, Kraemer received another letter from Schofield clarifying that “though your appointment to the [fire commission] has expired, you would continue in that position until the Board of Trustees elects to appoint a [successor].”
Subsequently, Kraemer found out that his term ended in November 2021. But since he was never formally replaced, he has continued to serve as a commissioner.
Kraemer said no official reason has been given to him as to why he would be removed from the fire commission. He also received no response back from the OFPD Board of Trustees.
“It was never on [the] agenda and never talked about in open or closed sessions,” Kraemer said.
Richard Free Press left messages for OFPD Board of Trustees President Christopher Evoy asking why Kraemer was not being reappointed, but no response has been given as of 11:45 a.m. on May 13.
But Kraemer has his suspicions as to why he is being removed — political retribution because of who he supports in upcoming local and county elections.
“If the trustees do not reappoint me, it is obviously due to outside political pressure,” Kraemer alleges.
Kraemer also believes he is the victim of a smear campaign.
Richard Free Press has reviewed two of the letters Kraemer alleges are being used to damage his reputation. According to Kraemer, the letters were sent to local elected officials, residents, and businesses in the area.
The first letter, which was post marked March 8, is addressed to Kraemer’s girlfriend of 11 years. However, the letter was written to his employer.
The letter alleges that Kraemer, when he was working for another company, “helped and participated in the sexual assault of his girlfriend’s 14-year-old daughter.” The letter also references the case of Anthony Martin, who was later arrested and convicted of child sexual exploitation charges in Colorado. It ends by stating the author of the letter intended to send the contents to Ron Wolflick, commander for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The second letter, which was sent to Kraemer’s girlfriend with no post mark date, appears to be addressing Wolflick directly. The letter, which like the first one is written by an anonymous author, makes several allegations, including misconduct at the fire district, harassment at a local golf club by local elected officials, and sexual misconduct allegations against current Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees members.
“I deny everything,” Kraemer said when asked about the allegations made in the letters.
Richard Free Press left messages with Wolflick asking if he had received the letters. However, Wolflick has not responded as of 11:45 a.m. on May 13.
While a formal decision still has not been made regarding Kraemer’s status as a fire commissioner, he continues to have support from some local firefighters.
Joshua Girdick, president of the Orland Professional Firefighters Local No. 2754, sent a letter to Evoy on May 9 asking him and the OFPD Board of Trustees to “reconsider their decision, because there is not a more involved commissioner within the [fire district] than Commissioner Kraemer.”
Girdick spoke with Richard Free Press on May 11 about why he sent the letter in support of Kraemer to Evoy and the OFPD Board of Trustees.
“There’s a couple big moments for our members in their careers — when they get hired, when they make it through probation and when they get promoted,” Girdick said. “Glenn has been the consistent commissioner who is always there to administer that oath of office to our members. Out of the three commissioners, he has been the only one who is typically there. To our members, that’s a big deal to have him there.
“Just from his commitment to that role, that is why I wanted to advocate for him to remain a commissioner. It was a nonpolitical thing on my end and on our local’s end.
“We want someone who is going to be involved and present in those events.”
Kraemer said he plans to attend and speak at the Tuesday, May 24 OFPD Board of Trustees meeting during the public comment portion of the meeting.