Orland Park voters weighing term limits
If passed, binding referendum would apply 12-year cap to mayor, trustees starting in ’21
As he gears up for a reelection run in the spring, Or land Park Mayor Ke it hPeka us aid he believesmany village residents support a ballot measure thatwould put a cap on how long he and other elected municipal officials can serve.
The first-term mayor, who ran on a platform in 2017 that endorsed term limits, has been using yard signs and social media to garner support for a binding referendum question ballot this fall.
If approved, Orland Park’s municipal officialswould be limited to three four-year terms, with limits beginning with those elected or reelected next spring. That would apply to the mayor, village clerk and the trustees.
Officials voted 4-3 in November 2018 to put the question on the November 2020 ballot, with Pekau casting the tiebreaking vote.
This April, the board reaffirmed the decision, in a 6-0 vote, in a move recommendedby the village attorney. Thecomposition of the board had changed since the initial vote, with a slate of three trustee candidates backed by Pekau winning election last year.
Whenitwas initially discussed two years ago, trustees considered an April 2019 referendum, but decided the 2020 election would result in a larger turnout and a better measurement of voters’ position.
Voter turnout in Orland Park for the April 2017 municipal election, when Pekau was electedmayor, wasabout26%, but turnout for the April 2019 municipal election was under 18%, according toCook County clerk records.
Turnoutwas about72% in theNovember 2016 presidential election, according to the clerk’s office.
Pekau’s campaign committee has been making yard signs available for residents who back term limits, and he estimated more than 150 have been handed out.
He has also urged support of the measure in YouTube videos, saying in one that elected office “shouldn’t be a lifetime job.”
“Every one I hear from is supportive of it,” he saidWednesday.
While a presidential election generally draws a bigger turnout than a municipal election, it’s not something that is easy to predict this year with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I imagine turnout will be fairly typical” of a presidential election year, Pekau said. “In Orland Park, I don’t think the pandemic will turn people away fromthe polls.”
With the village’s next mayoral election several months away, Pekau already has $109,000 available, according to the recent campaign finance filing.
His committee recorded contributions of nearly $93,000 in the July-September quarter, and expenses of almost $36,400, including $22,000 for a fundraising golf outing thissummer, according to the report.
Among the biggest donors in the third quarter were the village’s law firm, Klein Thorpe& Jenkins Ltd., which gave $5,000.
Ozinga Bros., the Mokena-based readymix concrete and building materials company, also contributed $5,000. Tim Ozinga, the firm’s executive vice president and a part owner, is the Republican candidate in the 37th House District, seeking to occupy the seat now held by Margo McDermed, who is not seeking reelection.