Pekau takes Rubin and Foxx to task over mandate punishments

By Jeff Vorva

Orland Park has Cook’s County’s attention.

The village’s decision to vote against enforcing Cook County COVID-19 mandates at a special meeting Dec. 28 has been a hot topic. The village’s position is that businesses need not require proof of vaccination for patrons to enter.

Some businesses are taking the board up on that. Some are following the mandates.

Dr. Rachel Rubin, who is the senior medical officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health, told WBBM-TV that businesses could be cited for not following the mandates.

“It’s not OK to defy the order,” Rubin said. “In those communities and in any other, we will be investigating or referring for investigation every credible complaint we receive.”

She added that the violators will have to deal with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office when it comes to the punishment.

Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau has been a critic of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and has said on numerous occasions that she is too lenient on criminals and that felons should not be on the street and committing crimes in places such as Orland Park.

“Let me get this straight,” he said at Monday’s village board meeting. “Kim Foxx is going to fine businesses for not checking your medical records, but she continues to let violent criminals run free. Maybe Dr. Rubin and Kim Foxx should get their priorities straight.

“Worry about the safety of the 120 children shot and murdered in the past year in Cook County rather than fine businesses for not checking the vaccine card of a 5-year-old.”

Pekau said the mandates are unlawful.

“As you know, I was in the U.S. Air Force and I took several oaths as a commissioned officer to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” he said. “I received a lot of training on leadership, on ethics and of this oath.

“Officers had an obligation and duty to not follow unlawful orders. In fact, we would be held culpable if we followed an unlawful order. This board does not have that training, but stood up to not enforce mandates that we felt were not lawful and not in line with our oaths in office.”

He said this decision is the right one.

“Several of these mandates we refuse to enforce were found to be in violation of the Constitution this last week. Mandates by individual executives and administrative bodies are not laws,” Pekau said. “There is a process for passing laws and these processes have been fully ignored by the state and the county. But not by Orland Park and I’m proud of our board for that.”