Jim Dodge’s first joke as the new mayor of Orland Park on May 5 was that his initial village board meeting was going to last three hours.
The truth is that it took around 40 minutes and the hundreds of people in attendance at Village Hall were appreciative and even more appreciative they were able to walk next door to the Civic Center for some cake and other treats as they celebrated a new era in the village’s history.
Dodge, trustees Dina Lawrence, John Lawler and Joanna M. L. Leafblad plus clerk Mary Ryan Norwell were sworn in and joined holdovers William Healy, Cynthia Nelson Katsenes and Michael Milani on the new board.
Changes are in the air with Dodge replacing two-term mayor Keith Pekau but on this night, there were just a few routine items on the docket, some residents with concerns about their streets and then some celebration.
“Today is a new day for Orland Park, and it’s a very clear demarcation point in our history,” Dodge told the crowd toward the end of the meeting. “I have heartfelt gratitude to the people of Orland Park and my family…all the friends and family that supported me…and tremendous support from labor and the Arab-American community as well.”
He said that the approach will be to make decisions in the best interest of the town.
“It doesn’t mean we’re perfect and it doesn’t mean we’re always going to get it right, but you have to work for that goal and that inspiration,” Dodge said. “You will see things that we talked about during the campaign – civility, courtesy, respect and professionalism.”
Dodge is making it a point to keep staff happy and plans on visiting every Orland Park employee and seeking input.
“I want to drive up employee satisfaction,” he said. “That’s the No. 1 key – keep your customers happy. That might not be a comfortable word for people in government, but you are going to hear me say that a lot in the next four years.”
He mentioned three priorities that he wants “quickly and decisively” addressed – Orland Park’s finances and spending, revamping the citizens advisory commissions and rebuilding relationships with other units of government such as the school boards and neighboring communities.
As for the makeup of the board, everyone is playing nice so far. Two years ago, Healy, Katsenes and Milani ran on Pekau’s slate and in 2025, the Pekau vs. Dodge slates locked horns in a nasty campaign.
The three vowed to put any prior animosity aside and work together with the newcomers and Dodge is happy to hear that.
“I’ve had good relationships with them in the past and I look forward to working with them again,” Dodge said of the trio of holdovers.
Milani and Healy publicly congratulated the new board members on their election victories.
Katsenes said “I look forward to working with you for the betterment of Orland Park.”
After the meeting, Dodge had a few seconds to savor the moment that he is now the new boss.
“It kind of has sunk in,” he said. “It was a perfect meeting, right? We had friends and family and people brought up issues. It’s like congratulations – you own it now.”
Dodge said the next meeting on May 19, some changes will be put into place.
But don’t expect a drastic set of changes right away.
“I’m not Elon Musk and I don’t have a chainsaw,” Dodge said.