Keith Pekau, shown in 2022 with area hockey star Kendall
Coyne Schofield, is running for his third term as mayor of
Orland Park. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)
Pekau, Dodge to duke it out in Orland Park
Jim Dodge, left, poses with retired Air Force General John Borling recently, and is challenging Keith Pekau in a race for Orland Park mayor. (Photo by Inform Orland Park)
At one time, Keith Pekau and Jim Dodge were on friendly terms.
Pekau said he even supported Dodge for Illinois treasurer in the 2018 election.
But things went sour during their time on the village board with Pekau being the mayor and Dodge a senior trustee and the two frequently locked horns until Dodge declined to run in 2021.
Now the two will lock horns in the 2025 mayoral election, which will take place April 1.
After the filing deadline passed on Nov. 18, Pekau and Dodge were the only two who announced their intentions to run for mayor.
Pekau, the mayor since 2017, heads up the People Over Politics slate that will feature Brian Gaspardo running for village clerk and Sean Kampas, Carol McGury and Brian Riordan running for village trustee. Kampas and Riordan are incumbents. Gaspardo was appointed this year.
Dodge is heading up the Orland Park for All party. Mary Ryan Norwell is running for clerk while Dina M. Lawrence, John Lawler and Joanna M. Liotine Leafblad are running for trustee spots.
Aside from the two parties battling each other for trustee slots, Democrat Mohammed Jaber has thrown his hat into the ring for a trustee position as well. He currently serves as a Consolidated High School District 230 board member and helped organize a town hall meeting on Oct. 30 to inform residents about why the village board’s plans for three Tax Increment Financing Districts will hurt homeowners and schools.
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