Orland Fire District Board Seats Up For Grabs: Election 2025

ORLAND PARK, IL — It's finally Election Day, and voters will chime in on a highly contentious race for seats on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees.

Two, six-year terms are up for grabs, as well as one unexpired two-year. Six are vying for the former, and three for the latter.

Running for the six-year seats are incumbent Beth Damas Kaspar, incumbent Commissioner Donald "DJ" Jeffers, and Bridget Tolan on the Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety Slate.

Also running on slate Together, Protecting & Supporting Orland Fire are Danielle Dorsey, Christian Barcelona, and Jennifer May.

Both Tolan and May are seeking the unexpired seat.

A third slate also has two candidates—Mark Mitchell and Paris Stirrat—running for the six-year seats, and candidate Steven Troglio reaching for the unexpired one.

Patch provided a questionnaire to candidates. Their responses have been published in candidate profiles, linked below. Candidates Mitchell, Stirrat, and Troglio did not participate.

Together, Protecting & Supporting Orland Fire

• Danielle Dorsey
• Christian Barcelona
• Jennifer May

Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety

• Beth Damas Kaspar
• Bridget Tolan
• Donald Jeffers

Rumors of a merger of Orland Park and Tinley Park fire agencies have heavily politicized pursuit of the fire district's trustee seats.

The Together, Protecting and Supporting Orland Fire slate is publicly endorsed by Orland Professional Firefighters Local 2754, widely known as Orland Firefighters.

Fiscal Voices for Safety claim to be the sole slate against the proposed merger, issuing campaign rhetoric and robocalls saying such—but Together, Protecting, & Supporting Orland Fire have rebuked that statement.

Fiscal Voices for Safety allege that plans for a merger originated within the local firefighters union; leadership there says they were drafted by Schofield and shared with them for consideration.

Read Orland Park Patch's coverage of the consolidation rumors.

• Orland, Tinley Leaders Refute Rumors Of Fire Departments Merging
• Merger, Other Concerns Linger As Fire District Board Cancels Last Meeting Before Election

Polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and close at 7 p.m. Not sure of your polling place? Look it up here: Cook County | Will County