Orland Park's Interim Asst. Manager Joe Mitchell Steps Down

ORLAND PARK, IL — The Village of Orland Park sent interim assistant village manager Joseph Mitchell off in style Monday night with a new title and a gold star.

Acting Village Manager Tom Dubelbeis dubbed the deputy police chief, who served temporarily in a lead village role until trustees could find a permanent employee, "Sir Master of the Realm" in recognition of his service to the village.

"On this day you shall be known as Sir Master of the Realm and and be known as Hero of the Realm," Dubelbeis said, and he slipped the "medallion" — a faux gold star on a ribbon — around his neck.

"Be advised I have no authority to bestow this honor on you and there's no lasting benefit to this honor other than acknowledgement of a job extremely well done — and that honor may soon be forgotten," he said.

Tongue-in-cheek comments aside, Dubelbeis also commended Mitchell for the work he did in the temporary role, including his "velvet-glove approach" with employees.

Mitchell helped lead the village for several rocky months that included incidents such as an investigation into Orland's bidding processes that found no wrongdoing, but said the village should take a deeper look into contracts awarded to Mayor Keith Pekau's former landscaping business and the financial interests he holds with two village vendors. Mitchell led an internal review that concluded Pekau had no conflicts of interest and also recommended strengthening the village's ethics and purchasing policies.

For the past month, he helped train the new employee who will fill the assistant village manager position. Greg Summers, an 11-year employee of Barrington, began the full-time role July 15. He replaces Karie Friling, who left in March to become Homer Glen's village manager.