Editorial: In bitter Orland Park mayoral race, Tribune Editorial Board endorses a return to civility

Chicago Tribune

18-03-2025

Federal partisanship has gotten so extreme and so ugly that people are cutting family members out of their lives, neighbors aren't speaking and, in general, Americans are likelier to view folks from the opposing political party as either idiotic or wicked.
Local politics are supposed to be different. Candidates are, after all, running to represent their baristas, local business owners, the family down the block and the other parents at their kids' school. In other words, local politics is personal, and the proximity of the candidates to one another — and their constituents — usually breeds a healthy dose of decorum and respect.
Not so in one southwest suburb. The mayoral race playing out in Orland Park has been anything but civil.
Candidates are incumbent Mayor Keith Pekau and former Village Trustee and Clerk Jim Dodge. In a joint virtual appearance before us, the candidates told the editorial board they used to be neighbors, and that Pekau's children used to babysit Dodge's kids. We were left wondering what changed since then.
Pekau has been attacked with ads calling him and his wife racist. Dodge denies involvement in these robocalls. Pekau has been relentless in his own attacks on Dodge, whom he positions as a liar and a stooge of special interests. The level of political discourse is disappointingly low and strikingly personal.
That's surprising given the candidates' commitment to public service. Both candidates are military veterans. Both have served many years in local government. We commend them for their service. We hope they are able to mend fences, both for themselves and for the good of their village.
In some ways, this race feels like a proxy battle between business and unions for control over Orland Park. Dodge has received a number of donations from labor groups while Pekau is backed by local businesses. Both men have poured their own money into their campaigns.
Pekau called for reopening businesses during COVID long before it was popular, and says his efforts increased pressure that ultimately led to reopening. We were glad to see businesses able to reopen too.
But this race also touches the prickliest national political issues.
Pekau attended the December 2024 Republican holiday bash in which border czar Tom Homan told the crowd 'your mayor sucks and your governor sucks.' We not only critiqued that lack of decorum from a high-ranking federal official, but also noted that all this sort of macho bluster will do is make Homan's agents' jobs more difficult.
We're also troubled by the handling of a confrontation after residents asked village officials to adopt a Gaza ceasefire resolution. Pekau has rightly pointed out that in his role as a local official he has nothing to do with foreign policy. But his messaging left many feeling unwelcome. 'First and foremost I'm an American,' he said at the Feb. 5 board of trustees meeting. 'I'm not a German American, I'm an American. That's where my allegiances lie. Period. Dot. End of story. And if you're an American citizen, and you don't feel that way, in my opinion, you're entitled to that opinion, but you can certainly go, and go to another country and support that country, and all the power to you if you choose to do that. I will always support America's interests.' It's that last part about going to another country that set people off.
Dodge, a longtime Republican, is far from perfect. We're suspicious of his endorsements from big labor groups such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which could mean spending and tax growth down the road. We also have grave concerns about the nature of the campaign against Pekau, and we find the personal attacks that have taken place unacceptable.
But given the polarization in village politics at the moment, we can't help but feel like something needs to change.
Jim Dodge is endorsed.