McLaughlin Submits Petition, Says Why Voters Should Choose Him

ORLAND PARK, IL — He's back. Former Mayor of Orland Park Dan McLaughlin announced he will run for mayor after losing the title to current Mayor Keith Pekau in 2017. Since the announcement was made, the One Orland Park party, backed by McLaughlin, and the People Over Politics party, backed by Pekau, have both released statements in their own favor.

In a release from One Orland Thursday evening, the party announced it would submit 1,776 signatures collected from Orland Park voters to the village hall early Friday morning, for the April election.

"We have a clear choice in this election and voters of Orland Park are ready to get us back on track," McLaughlin said in the release. "The number 1,776 symbolizes the energy of our neighbors and volunteers in getting a team elected to local office that will end the current administration’s corruption, protect public health and safety, and steer our economy in the right direction. The status quo of the last nearly four years has harmed our village’s character, and it’s time for dynamic change."

McLaughlin shared some of his campaign promises with Patch, and addressed statements made by the People Over Politics Party. Here's a look at some of his responses.

Why he decided to run again

McLaughlin said his decision to run for mayor comes after feeling as though he left the city incomplete.

"It might sound a little corny, but I'm going to tell you that I felt like I left the job incomplete. There were projects that I had been working on for years that were getting close to completion," McLaughlin said. The candidate went on to say Orland Park has changed since he left office.

"The village has been going backwards. There's been little to no economic development. And in running a municipality and trying to keep storefronts full and business flowing, you need to constantly do economic development ... not just for big businesses, but filling up vacancies as they occur ... I just feel like the economic development has taken a back seat to other things and I can't sit back and watch the village go backwards."

Orland's voters approved a term limit referendum on the November 2020 general election ballot, limiting the number of terms mayor, trustee and clerk can serve in office to three full terms. McLaughlin served as mayor for over two decades, but says term limits are not an issue to him.

"I understand that the public likes term limits and I have no problem with that," he said. "I'm looking ahead, and we need to do an awful lot of planning for the future."

Why McLaughlin believes voters should choose him

McLaughlin said voters should vote for him for his "track record of working well with people to get things done."

"I've got a long list of accomplishments and some of those projects were considerable projects. The LaGrange Road project ... widening and improvement, that went on for years," McLaughlin said, adding that construction on 159th street began shortly after.

"I've been instrumental in hundreds of millions of dollars in projects around Orland Park and that takes a lot of negotiating. It takes a lot of sitting down and working well with all interested parties," McLaughlin said. "I just think I have a track record to show that I can get things done, and right now we need to get things done."

McLaughlin said there is a sense of division within the village and that after being mayor for over 20 years, he wants to come back and fix that.

"I completed 24 years of service as mayor without a hint of a scandal. Right now there's a [division-like] atmosphere in village politics that is not good for the village," McLaughlin said. "I think I've shown that I can work with everybody and do things the right way."

He won't take a salary

The candidate said if elected he will not take a salary, and instead give the compensation back to the village, general funds or other projects within Orland.

In March 2019, village trustees voted to make the mayoral position part-time, along with implementing a pay cut. According to the village website, the salary for mayor is $150,000, plus $3,000 liquor commissioner pay. In April, whoever is elected will receive a $40,000 salary, along with the $3,000 commissioner pay. This will begin to take effect after April's election.

"I'm not even going to take the $43,000. I'm running because I love Orland Park," McLaughlin said. "I want to try and make Orland Park the best community in the Chicago area. And we were on track to do that. And a lot of things have been, let go, and I just want to get back to work."

One Orland Party

McLaughlin said he is confident in the One Orland Party, made up of Patrick O'Sullivan, Amy Burrell, Chris Kasmer and Derek Rinaldi. All members have announced their intentions to run for open offices at Village Hall under the slate.

"I think it's a very good slate," McLaughlin said. "I think our slate is very community oriented and very interested in moving the village forward, and everybody has the same vision and goal of making Orland Park one of the best communities."

Addressing crime

The People Over Politics party shared a statement touting a decrease in crime within the village, and said that 2019 alone had the lowest crime rate in the past 25 years. The party also said that 2020 has lowered the crime rate an additional 35 percent.

McLaughlin told Patch that crime rates had been decreasing for many years prior to Pekau taking office.

"Every year of my terms the crime rate went down as well. And part of that is because when I came in as mayor, we had 23 police officers. I brought in a new police chief, and we continued to add officers to the budget every year, up to when I left," McLaughlin said. "There was almost 100 police officers and brand new high-tech police stations. So we set the table for making Orland Park the safest community in the state."

He added that Orland Park Police undergo numerous training programs that he intends to keep going if elected.

"I will also add that Orland Park is one of those communities where the major source of crime is retail related, or retail driven," McLaughlin said. "With the pandemic starting in February or March, you saw so little activity at the retail centers that naturally, retail related crime would go down as well."

COVID-19

McLaughlin said he doesn't agree with several actions the village has taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. The candidate said leadership plays a role in how residents respond.

"The leadership has to set the tone for the village," McLaughlin said. "A mask mandate is something that should've been done. I certainly wouldn't have spent thousands of dollars suing the state or governor over pandemic procedures."

He said he believes an enforced mask mandate would prevent the spread of coronavirus within the village, and claimed Pekau is OK with large gatherings — such as movies or concerts held in various parks — that can potentially spread the virus.

"Most of those events cost a considerable amount of money," McLaughlin said. "For that reason alone, and knowing that the pandemic was going to cause a considerable reduction in income, I would have been extremely careful about how we spend our money."

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