Scott Kaspar resigned from two Orland Park committees because he said he didn’t want politics to distract those committees. Photo courtesy of Scott Kaspar
Kaspar resigns committee posts before Orland trustees vote
By Jeff Vorva
Orland Park resident Scott Kaspar took the you-can’t-fire-me-because-I-quit approach to fending off being removed from two committees and said he was protecting those committees from politics.
Orland Park’s village board tabled a motion to have Kaspar booted off the Police Pension Fund and Ethics committees for comments that they said he made that were “improper and unbecoming of an individual appointed to those positions,” according to village documents.
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau urged the board of trustees Monday to table a motion removing Scott Kaspar from two committees because Kaspar had resigned. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)
Kaspar was invited to plead his case at Monday’s village board meeting but he did not show up and had already resigned from those committees shortly after the board had announced they wanted him off of the committees at the April 4 Committee of the Whole meeting.
Both Kaspar and Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau are running with several others for the Republican nomination in the 6th Congressional District in the June 28 primary election. In a video ad for Kaspar, he questioned the village’s statistics on crime and said that crime in the village was out of control.
While Pekau abstained from comment that night because of the congressional election, some board members took exception to the ad and Trustee Cynthia Nelson Katsenes called it “reckless.”
In a resignation letter to Police Pension Fund Board head John Dargan, Kaspar wrote: “This pension board is not political. It is a board that makes decisions for the long-term health of the pension fund, owned by the officers who have faithfully served on the Orland Park Police.
“I am disappointed that Mayor Pekau has chosen to insert politics into my appointed role. However, I care about the pension board and want to protect it from this unrelated political fight. Accordingly, I am resigning from the pension board immediately so that you may seek my successor and carry forth the business of the pension board without the distraction of politics.”
Pekau was puzzled Monday night about public comments Kaspar made about being removed from the committees during the April 4 Committee of the Whole meeting.
“Mr. Kaspar said he was forcibly removed from this position and to be clear, I have not removed him, and the board has not officially recommended for his removal, either,” the mayor said. “They invited him to speak tonight, and we do not see him. [On April 4] they moved it to the main board meeting to have that happen.
“Clearly, from his resignation, he knew that he wasn’t forcibly removed.”
Appointments
The board appointed interim police chief Eric Rossi to the Joint Emergency Telephone System Board to replace former chief Joseph Mitchell, who retired and took the chief’s job in Wilmington.
It also appointed former trustee and former interim village manager Tom Dubelbeis to the Veteran’s Commission replacing James Thompson, who died in March.
Local News
Kiwanis, Lions, Sertoma join Ukrainian relief effort
Spread the loveBy Kelly White People have been coming from all over the southwest suburbs to show their support. Area Palos Kiwanis, Lions, and Sertoma service clubs, and countless community members, are working together to help out Ukrainian refugees through a humanitarian aid collection drive. “This is such a tragedy,” Palos Hills Alderman Mike Lebarre…
Ukrainian churches seeking donations
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Relief efforts for Ukrainians caught in the invasion of their country by Russian military forces have begun at two Ukrainian churches in Palos Park. Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church is collecting humanitarian aid for Ukraine that will be shipped by air to Poland, which has taken in thousands…
Palos Park police head to Manteno for Polar Plunge
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch and Bob Bong Area police officers cannot wait to go swimming on Saturday. No, not in the warm comfort of a YMCA swimming pool or a local hotel. This will happen outside. On March 5. In Northern Illinois. It’s not exactly swimming weather, which is why it’s called the Polar…
Worth bans overnight parking of large vehicles on streets
Spread the lovePolar Plunge to be held Saturday at Altman Park By Joe Boyle An ordinance has been introduced in Worth to restrict overnight parking of large vehicles along public streets or village-owned property. According to the ordinance, it will be unlawful to park or store any vehicle with an Illinois license plate classification higher than Class…
Return to normalcy, war and gas prices draw Palos Heights council’s interest
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Palos Heights City Council had plenty to do Tuesday night when it came to decisions and votes on city matters. But it also took some time out to talk about world concerns. On the day masks became optional indoors in Illinois – signifying a possible return to normal –…
Orland Park officials see concert series making money in coming years
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Orland Park Concert Series will be a go for 2022 and village officials know there will be some money lost on the deal but think the payoffs will come in future years. The board of trustees unanimously approved a three-concert series package for this year at Centennial Park West…
Dylan Jacobs off and running — fast — to start to ND track season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Dylan Jacobs is amazed, but not surprised, that Sandburg’s cross country and track programs have produced three runners who have each run a mile in under four minutes. Jacobs became the third on Jan. 22. The Orland Park native, a senior at Notre Dame, broke the magical four-minute…
Brother Rice falls to Bloom in regional title game
Spread the loveCrusaders players eye big things in 2022-23 By Steve Millar Correspondent Early in the third quarter of the Class 4A Brother Rice Regional championship game, the host Crusaders — who had trailed Bloom by as many as 12 — took a four-point lead. Playing in front of a raucous home crowd led by…
International soccer tournament coming to Bridgeview
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Thirty-two soccer teams from North, Central and South America will be at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this summer, vying for their share of a $100,000 prize. Copa Mariachi Chicago will be played at the stadium June 4 and 5. The winning team will get $80,000, and the second-place team pockets…
Grappling girls get their day at inaugural state finals
Spread the loveBy Jason Maholy Sports Editor The last weekend of February 2022 was an historic one for Illinois high school athletics, as female grapplers from across the Prairie State converged on Bloomington for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. The state finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at Grossinger Motors Arena in…
Neighbors
State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters. The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…
Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…
Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Remembering Lee Milner
NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…
Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now. Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall. Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into…
Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength this week as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income…