OP_120618

4 | December 6, 2018 | The orland park prairie news
opprairie.com
Orland Park Village Board
Residents to vote on term limits, eventually
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
The question of whether
to enact term limits for Village
of Orland Park officials
is now in the hands of the
voters. It just will take some
time to ask them.
The Village Board of
Trustees voted 4-3 Nov. 19
to place the binding referendum
on the November 2020
general election ballot.
Mayor Keith Pekau and
Trustees Dan Calandriello,
Carole Griffin Ruzich and
Pat Gira voted for it. Trustees
James Dodge, Michael
Carroll and Kathleen Fenton
voted against it.
Per the ordinance, the
referendum question to be
added to the ballot is to ask:
“Shall the terms of office for
those persons elected to the
offices of Village president,
Village trustee and Village
clerk in the Village of Orland
Park at the April 6,
2021 Consolidated Election
and at each election for any
of such offices thereafter, be
limited such that no person
elected may serve more than
three (3) full four (4) year
terms in the same office?”
Under the terms of the
ordinance, if voted affirmatively
by the majority of the
residents during that 2020
election, it would set term
limits on the mayor, trustee
and clerk positions. The
limits would apply not only
consecutive terms but also
to cumulative terms.
According to Village
documents, the term limits
would take effect and
essentially start the clock
“after the passage of a public
referendum [and] beginning
with the Consolidated
General Election on April 6,
2021.”
During the discussion,
Village Attorney Kenneth
Friker said the term limits
question has to be done by
referendum, meaning the
trustees could not enact
term limits by ordinance.
Two ordinances were on
the agenda related to the
timing of the ballot question,
including one that was
tabled from a previous meeting.
That item, which would
have placed the question
on the ballot for the April
2019 election, was initially
brought up by Mayor Keith
Pekau. It was tabled again,
as trustees instead opted to
vote on the November 2020
ordinance first.
Pekau said he supports
term limits, because when
people are in positions too
long they become “political
power players.”
“We see too much of that
in the system, and we see
too much of that locally,”
Pekau said after the meeting.
“I think we have a big
town, and we need a variety
of ideas. If you want to be a
career local politician, then
serve in three different offices
for 36 years.”
But during the meeting,
Pekau explained why he
thought April 2019 was a
better election to ask the
question.
“I think the reason why
the April election makes
sense is that it is a local
election for local officials,”
he said. “This is only affecting
local officials. It does
not affect the president. It
does not affect the senate.
It does not affect the governor,
the treasurer or any of
the State offices whatsoever
— which a November election
does. Our April elections
are strictly focused on
our local elections, and this
particular term limit question
would just be for our
local elections. Therefore, it
makes sense, and my preference
would be for it to be on
April.”
But he said he would vote
for either to get it on the
ballot.
Trustee Carole Griffin
Ruzich said she, too, was
fine with whichever election
having the question asked,
so long as it was asked on
one of the ballots.
“Whether we take this
vote in April of 2019 or
November of 2020, I think
we all know how this would
turn out,” she said.
“I’m in favor of letting
the voters vote as to whether
this should happen or not,
but tying up one of the resolutions
over a binding referenda
that can be on a ballot
at that time this early in the
cycle when we have no idea
what’s going to happen in
the next two years seems
premature.”
Trustee Patricia Gira noted
her preference was the
November 2020 election,
because she said more voters
turn out for general elections.
“Local elections just
don’t seem to draw bigger
crowds, so I think it should
be in November,” she said.
Meanwhile, Trustee
James Dodge was strongly
against the motion, citing
philosophical differences
with term limits at the local
level.
“I plan on voting no
on all of these term limit
questions,” he said during
the meeting. “The system
works perfectly. If I’m not
mistaken, there used to
be someone sitting in [the
mayor’s chair] by a different
last name. An election
was held, voters cast their
vote, and the system worked
perfectly. Every term under
the Illinois Constitution is
limited by definition.”
Dodge said the system
works and that there was no
need for term limits.
“Terms are, by definition,
limited,” he said. “It’s a
matter of voter activity.”
Trustee Michael Carroll
said his opposition to the
ordinance was more about
how early it was being added
to the ballot for the 2020
election. Trustee Kathleen
Fenton agreed, stating she
too thought it was too soon
to vote on a November 2020
ballot question. Otherwise,
she said she had no objection
to term limits.
After the meeting, Dodge
said he also thought the ordinance
did not adequately
explain when the clock
would start on the term
limits — meaning after the
April 2021 election or if
past service would be included.
“The way this ordinance
is written, I’ve served for 32
years … so, my choices are:
I can run for re-election, I
can run away or I can run
for mayor,” he said.
Pekau insisted that the
clock would start at zero
if the referendum passed,
starting with the April 2021
election.
Pekau on Friday, Nov. 30,
forwarded a letter to The Orland
Park Prairie, offering
the legal opinion of Village
Attorney E. Kenneth Friker,
who wrote that “such proposition
will, if approved by
the voters at the November
3, 2020, Consolidated Election,
not apply retroactively
but will limit the number
of terms of office for those
elected to Village offices
at the April 6, 2021, Consolidated
Election and those
Village officer elections
held thereafter.”
CONTACT
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DANA ANDERSON
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Orland Park Public Library running
winter coat drive through Dec. 28
Submittted by Orland Park
Public Library
The Orland Park Public Library
is collecting new winter
clothing items for Orland
Township through Dec. 28.
The public is invited to
donate winter hats, gloves,
scarves and coats to The
Giving Tree, located on the
first floor of the library at the
bottom of the stairs. Patrons
are invited to place their donations
directly on or under
the tree. Items will be distributed
by Orland Township
to families in the area. This
service project was started a
number of years ago by the
Teen Inc. Service Club.
The Orland Park Public
Library is located at 14921
Ravinia Ave. in Orland Park.
Hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5
p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m.
Sunday.
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