Book it.
Orland Park is about to change its longtime lead council group from Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins to Ancel Glink.
That set off another controversy at the June 16 committee of the whole and regular village board meetings with three trustees claiming that the move is a conflict of interest as that firm represented then-candidate James Dodge in a challenge to his nominating petition in December during the recent election.
Dodge, now the mayor, held up a thick book that was written by members of Ancel Glink’s firm regarding municipal law.
“There have been a number of things said tonight about costs, about conflict of interest, various legal Latin phrases etc.,” Dodge said. “For anybody who is interested, here is the book on Illinois law that was written by Ancel Glink.
“In terms of writing the book on law, they are certainly well qualified.”
It’s the third time since the new board took over in May that Dodge and the three new members of the board have approved a hire that the three holdovers deemed a conflict of interest.
It started with the re-hiring of George Koczwara as village manager on May 12 and continued with hiring PubliCity Communications LLC, led by former village employee Nabeha Zegar, to do public relations work at the June 9 meeting.
This time, the board voted 4-3 to have Koczwara negotiate with Ancel Glink and 12 other firms for legal services.
“I just have sincere things about this conflict of interest that would presumably preclude the mayor from not participating in it (the vote),” said holdover Trustee William Healy, who voted “no.”
“I just can’t stand these conflicts of interest and they are coming one after another,” he said.
Another holdover, Cynthia Nelson-Katsenes said she voted “no” and took issue with Ancel Glink representing Dodge during the campaign and wanted to know the total cost for Ancel Glink and 12 other vendors whom the village will reach out to for legal work.
Those other firms are Del Galdo Law Group LLP, Elrod Friedman LLP, the current lead council, Klein, Thorpe and Jenkin LTD, the Law Office of Dan Calandriello LLC, Luetkehans, Brady, Garner and Armstrong LLC, Miller, Canfield Paddock and Stone P.L.C., Ottosen, DiNolfo, Hasenbalg and Castaldo, Ltd., Peterson Johnson and Murray LLC, Spesian and Taylor, Vasselli Law, LLC, Donna J. Norton and Croke Fairchild Duarte and Beres LLC.
Holdover trustee Michael Milani, another “no” voter, was apprehensive about who was taking the lead in a few of those firms.
“I noticed some interesting names,” Milani said. “(Orland Township Supervisor) Paul O’Grady, (former Orland Park trustee) Dan Calandriello and Ancel Glink. They are familiar names, if you have been tracking recent election news.”
Koczwara said that it’s possible the village will not reach an agreement with all 13. The village spent more than $1 million on legal fees last year, officials said.
Dodge said he anticipated Ancel Glink will start in the next two-to-four weeks and Michael Stillman will be the lead lawyer. Stillman was on the team during the hearings in December.
Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins served the village as lead counsel for decades but no one on the dais was sure for how long.
A resident, however, came up to the microphone and sounded confident when he said Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins started working with the village in 1991 and added it was the first year the Chicago Bulls won an NBA championship.
Other news
- Joan O’Brien was named the village’s administrative adjudication of vehicular standing, parking and compliance regulation.
- The Orland Park National Grasslands group was honored by the board.