Orland Park Votes To Seek Legal Options Over Reopening

ORLAND PARK, IL — Trustees in Orland Park on Monday voted in favor of seeking legal possible legal options against the state of Illinois if reopening guidelines aren't loosened by June 1. The board voted 6-1 in favor of allowing the village attorney to seek legal recourse in this matter.

Mayor Keith Pekau said in an email the board action "authorized staff to research and present all of our legal options at the next meeting." An actual lawsuit against the state is not currently in the works, he said.

Monday night's vote was to approve a resolution, of which Section 3 indicates would "authorize the immediate commencement of research by the Village Staff and Village Attorney regarding current status of legislation, other active or pending litigation by individual units of government or bodies that represent multiple local governments, and create detailed options for VOP to join existing litigation or start separate litigation."

Wording added to the resolution on the date of its passage also indicates the research and options are to be presented during the first village board meeting in June.

Public comments were largely against the village taking this action, however. Comments that were emailed in for the virtual meeting were read aloud. The common theme of the comments was that by taking this action to seek to open early the village is putting the interest of corporations before the health and safety of residents, employees and shoppers.

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Trustee Cynthia Katsenes said that many of the comments were from activists who do not live in Orland Park and who have opposed the village decisions on earlier, unrelated issues.

But Trustee Dan Calandriello pointed out that of the 13 Orland Park residents who did comment on the village's reopening plan and possible lawsuit, 12 were against it. Calandriello was the lone trustee to vote against the resolution.

Last night we organized a car caravan protest of Mayor Pekau and the @VillageOrlandPk. They approved a resolution 6-1 which would pursue legal action against the state, and continue to side with corporations instead of protecting workers and public health. #ProtectOrlandLives pic.twitter.com/MBNSG9iECO
— CCIL3 (@CCIL3rd) May 19, 2020

Pekau said the goal of the village is to reopen "with common sense and good social distancing," adding his notion that a number of the comments came from people who did not read the village's reopening plan and were instead "guessing" on what it says.

Before the meeting, a group of activists staged a drive-by protest around Village Hall to oppose the trustees' plan to seek a lawsuit. A counter protest of a few people who are for the reopening also took place.

Hannah McCorry, an Orland Park resident who organized the protest, said it was done to "ensure that people who work at the mall and other retail stores, and the shoppers in Orland, are safe."

"Instead of phasing in a plan to open all businesses right away, the mayor should instead be focused on putting forth plans to get these workers paid time off," she said.