Orland Park, Illinois Nov 19, 2024 (Issuewire.com) - The once-celebrated poster boy of anti-COVID lockdowns, Keith Pekau, now finds himself facing a serious challenge from Jim Dodgeand the numbers speak volumes. Pekau managed to secure only less than 200 signatures, while Dodge amassed 4236, leaving Pekau in an embarrassing position. Dodge is an impressive candidate, dedicated to public service, with an outstanding resume that has already drawn significant attention. Pekaus downfall can largely be traced back to critical failures, including not filing multiple Village of Orland Park auditsleaving the village delinquent for two years and with nearly a million dollars unaccounted for. This situation has prompted residents to ask: where did the money go? As a result, Orland Park became the only community besides Dolton to have its funds cut off. His governance style, reminiscent of Chicago-style pay-to-play politics, has further damaged his reputation. Pekau has reportedly used his position to hold liquor licenses over local restaurants and targeted his political opponents' families, even going so far as to have spouses and children fired from their jobs.
The Pekau family's legacy of questionable political dealings is no secret. Keith, his brother Greg, and their father Donald Pekau have all been embroiled in controversy. Donald Pekau, a former Orland Park Trustee, was ousted due to ethics misconduct after allegedly demanding campaign contributions from those seeking rezoning approvals. Greg Pekaus history includes making illegal robocalls and being dismissed from Arizona Governor Ducey's campaign due to campaign finance violations. Keith has also been accused of using Gregs robocalls to smear political rivals, even resorting to fabrications for public sympathy.
Recent controversies further illustrate Keith Pekau's alleged misuse of public office. The Zeigler Automotive Group https://www.zeigler.com/ Ford Motor Dealerships, General Motors Dealerships, and Dodge Dealerships, reportedly paid Pekau $5,000, after which Pekau awarded them a $500,000 tax rebate. Similarly, Horton Insurancea Marsh McLennan MMC agent https://www.marshmclennan.com/ is led by John Q. Doyle, who is the President of Marsh McLennan and claims public integrityGlenn Horton https://www.thehortongroup.com/ allegedly provided Pekaus consulting firm "Farenheight" with $100,000 worth of "consulting fees." Horton and its employees contributed over $30,000 to Pekaus campaigns, while Pekau, in turn, granted Horton a no-bid contract worth $1 million annually, driving insurance costs 50% higher for Orland Park.
This pattern of behavior makes it clear that the people of Orland Park are ready to move on from Keith Pekau and any figure tied to his controversial legacy. Keith Pekau was also another failure for Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker of the House, as Keith Pekau was overwhelmingly rejected by voters in his congressional bid against Sean Casten. https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-casten-vs-keith-pekau-illinois-6th-district-us-house-election-2022-11
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https://patch.com/illinois/orlandpark/illegal-investigation-fact-checking-orland-park-mayors-claims;
https://patch.com/illinois/orlandpark/orland-should-investigate-pekau-bids-other-practices-report
https://dccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Keith-Pekau-Research-Book.pdf
Source :Ford Motor Company Marsh McLennan
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