Orland Mayor Reverts To Part-Time Role

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park's mayor will now serve as a part-time role, more than two years after the village's board expanded the position with more hours, duties and pay.

The village board voted 6 to 0 to roll back the full-time role that trustees approved in 2016. The change approved Monday night will take effect in the 2021 election.

The trustees approved the full-time position in 2016 when they believed that former mayor Dan McLaughlin would be elected to a seventh term. At the time, the trustees said that if McLaughlin could give up his part-time job as with the Builder's Association, he could focus solely on Orland, and trustees could forego hiring additional economic development staff.

As a part-time mayor, McLaughlin made $40,000 a year. When he went full time, his salary was approved at an annual $150,000.

However, at election time, newcomer Keith Pekau beat him with 54 percent of the vote.

By 2018, trustees began to reevaluate the decision and the role, questioning whether economic staff was indeed needed. Some questioned whether Pekau was right for the role.

On Monday night, Carole Griffin Ruzich claimed that after Pekau was elected, she approached him about revisiting the decision about the full-time status.

Pekau said he supported the move and even ran for election on the position that the mayoral seat should be part-time.

Read more in The Orland Park Prairie.