Pekau issues statement to ‘welcome’ challenger McLaughlin to 2021 mayoral race
OP mayor also comments to Richard Free Press on McLaughlin’s claims of ‘divisiveness’ in Village, mayoral salary and more
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been corrected to show that Mayor Keith Pekau referred to former Village Manager Joe La Margo as former Mayor Dan McLaughlin’s deputy Democratic committeeman. Richard Free Press regrets the error.
Pictured is Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who will be seeking a second term in the upcoming April 2021 municipal election. PHOTO SUBMITTED
By Jon DePaolis
ORLAND PARK, Ill. – Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau has issued a statement welcoming former mayor and current challenger Dan McLaughlin to the April 2021 mayoral race.
Pekau’s statement – which was released earlier this month, when speculation began that McLaughlin may enter the race – said “the people of Orland Park deserve to have a choice in candidates for all elected positions.”
Pekau defeated McLaughlin in the April 2017 election, ousting the former mayor who had served the Village in that role for 24 years. McLaughlin announced his bid to run for mayor in April on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
“Voters will have a clear choice in this campaign between Dan McLaughlin and me,” Pekau stated in the press release. “First and foremost, I am not a career politician and am serving in my first term ever in elective office. On the other hand, Mr. McLaughlin has held public office for 28 years and also ran unsuccessfully for Illinois state treasurer.
“I led the charge to put term limits on the ballot (one of my campaign promises), and the voters of Orland Park overwhelmingly approved this good government measure 88% to 11%.”
Pekau stated that he looked forward to debating McLaughlin on the issues, such as fiscal responsibility.
“During his time as mayor, Mr. McLaughlin raised his pay by 275% and increased his taxpayer-funded pension by $2.1 million, while our Village’s debt exploded from $12 million in 1998 to $111 million in 2016,” Pekau claimed. “During my brief time as mayor, we’ve returned the mayor’s salary back to what it was before the McLaughlin pay hike and prohibited all elected officials in the Village of Orland Park from receiving a pension.”
Pekau also pointed to public safety and infrastructure in the press release.
“Orland Park is rated one of the safest towns in America, and our crime rate is at a 26-year low and has declined every year since I was elected,” Pekau stated. “I also look forward to debating Mr. McLaughlin on the condition of our village infrastructure. Under Mr. McLaughlin’s watch, only one park was refurbished every two years, upkeep on our major parks was neglected, and our roads were allowed to deteriorate to a point where 40% of them were in poor condition. Over the last two years, we increased our road resurfacing from just nine of our 249 road regions to 32, made major improvements to seven neighborhood parks and the John Humphrey Complex, resurfaced eight tennis and 10 basketball courts, and installed seven pavilions.
“When it comes to economic development, growth had stagnated during Mr. McLaughlin’s decades-long tenure, and we had a Triangle Project that had been ongoing for 16 years and lost millions. To my surprise, in my first-ever meeting as mayor, I was briefed on another $23 million land and golf course purchase that the Village was about to complete, which I put a stop to. Since then, I’ve worked to drive economic development, including Von Maur, Pete’s Fresh Market, Caputo’s, Duluth Trading Company, REI, Stan’s Donuts, and Moran’s family of brands. These businesses create good-paying jobs, grow revenue for the Village in place of increased taxes and fees, and provide opportunities for our families looking for activities right here in our vibrant community.”
Pekau concluded his statement by saying the people of Orland Park have a choice.
“Do we go back to the failures and political games of the past or do we continue to work cooperatively to move Orland Park forward?” he stated. “Do we go back to career politicians and their allies getting rich off our tax dollars or do we focus on doing the right thing for our residents and small businesses?
“I look forward to a fact-based, issues-oriented campaign that puts people over politics.”
Pekau comments on McLaughlin’s claims of divisiveness, mayoral salary
In a subsequent interview with Richard Free Press on Wednesday, Dec. 16, Pekau took a harder stance when responding to some of the comments made by McLaughlin about divisiveness existing in the Village.
“Dan McLaughlin hired his former deputy Democratic committeeman, Joe La Margo, to be the Village manager after the election that he lost and before I was sworn in — specifically to obstruct me,” Pekau said. “He locked me out of buildings, and he blocked my emails. His board — his six people who were loyal to him — tried to block everything I was doing. So, that is where the divisiveness came from.”
Pekau also said that during the 2019 election, McLaughlin and a supporter “tried to kick our guys off the ballot.”
“I have to deal with the cards that are dealt,” Pekau said. “[He] lined everything up so he could divide everything. Now, we know why. He’s been planning this for four years.”
Pekau also responded to McLaughlin’s comment that the mayor was taking the $153,000 yearly salary despite campaigning against it.
“He put the $153,000 [salary] in place,” Pekau said. “I ended it. He tried to take a $2.1 million pension. I’m not taking one. I think he also said he is not going to take the salary [if he wins]? That’s because he can’t, because he’s been taking the mayor’s pension … since June 2017, and he can’t take both.”
Pekau also disagreed with McLaughlin’s comments about the former mayor not being a “career politician.”
“When he was first elected to the board, I was a junior at Carl Sandburg High School in 1983,” Pekau said. “I was 51 when he finally left office, because I beat him.
“I think he is the epitome of a career politician.”