User:AmericanPoliticsJunkie/sandbox/Keith Pekau

Keith Pekau (born 1966) is an American businessman, US Air Force veteran and Illinois politician who is the current Mayor of Orland Park, Illinois.

Early life
Keith Pekau was born in 1966 to Donald Theodore Pekau (d. 2018) and Patricia Ulrich Pekau (d.2013) in Orland Park, Illinois. Keith was one of three siblings, including his brother Greg and sister Diane.

https://www.azcentral.com/obituaries/par023808

He attended Carl Sandberg HS in Orland Park, then received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Arizona State University in Tempe. After graduation, he became an officer in the US Air Force where he was a weapons system instructor deploying to Saudi Arabia during Operation Southern Watch in the 1990s. While serving, he attended Duke University, Durham NC, where he was granted an MBA.

Lynn Sweet. https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/11/22/22797687/orland-park-mayor-pekau-launches-gop-congress-bid-illinois-district-dems-casten-newman

US Air Force and business career

He is a combat veteran in the F-15E fighter aircraft and logged over 1,500 hours of flight time, with 45 combat sorties and 150 combat hours over Iraq. He resigned from the Air Force as a captain after nine years and became a management consultant. He founded Groundskeeper Landscape Care in 2003, selling the company in 2019. In 2009, he founded Fahrenheit Consulting, a firm specializing in providing market growth strategies to businesses.

TMA News, https://tmanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pekau-Orland-Park-TMA-Questionnaire.pdf

Illinois politics

In 2017, Pekau defeated incumbent six-term mayor Daniel McLaughlin to become Mayor of Orland Park.

Lynn Sweet. https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/11/22/22797687/orland-park-mayor-pekau-launches-gop-congress-bid-illinois-district-dems-casten-newman

Pekau’s first mayoral term sparked controversy, particularly at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, when, in June 2020, Orland Park, led by Pekau and restaurateur Tom McMullen filed suit in US District Court against Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, asking the court to stop Pritzker from locking down businesses and activities across the state in response to the spread of Covid. The lawsuit accused the governor of “…ignoring state law and trampling constitutional rights.”

https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/544621472-judge-nixes-orland-park-suit-vs-pritzker-pre-shutdown-due-process-hearings-would-make-covid-response-ineffective

Immediately thereafter, Orland Park’s attorneys asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to reverse the governor’s executive orders. In August 2020, federal district judge Andrea Wood denied the motion. In October 2020, Orland Park withdrew its lawsuit. Pekau observed that the suit had put pressure on the governor to loosen the restrictions on the state’s businesses and that income from sales tax from businesses in the city that had remained open more than offset the cost of the suit.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-orland-park-pritzker-lawsuit-st-1009-20201008-eh3pnzyjdbbipo57wjw5g7va4m-story.html

In 2021, Pekau was challenged for the mayoral post again by former incumbent Daniel McLaughlin. He won and his “People Over Politics” coalition also added three members to the city’s Board of Trustees.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-orland-park-mayoral-election-st-0408-20210407-sew3kyrsijbojek4jhuymlvd5i-story.html

Four months after his reelection, Pekau renewed his conflict with Gov. Pritzker in August 2021 when he accused the governor of “abuse of power” and making kids the “bogeyman” in mandating the wearing of masks in Illinois public schools.

https://wgntv.com/news/coronavirus/weve-made-kids-the-bogeyman-orland-park-mayor-pushes-back-against-mask-mandate-in-schools/

In October 2021, the governor issued a new mandate for the state’s restaurants and bars, decreeing that those establishments could not serve food or beverages indoors. Pekau issued a statement that his city would not take action to enforce those orders, accusing the governor of acting for “control and power,” rather than efforts based on science.

https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/563299657-orland-park-mayor-enforcing-pritzker-restaurant-orders-would-leave-village-open-to-federal-civil-rights-lawsuits

In December 2021, Cook County’s Department of Public Health announced that, commencing January 3, 2022, anyone entering a venue serving food or drinks would be required to produce a proof of vaccination against Covid-19.

Tim McNichols, https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/12/23/cook-county-proof-of-vaccination-mandate/

Led by Pekau, the Orland Park Village Board of Trustees resolved not to enforce the county’s mandate, calling it a “political move.” Pekau iterated that, if the pandemic required restrictions on business, that laws should be passed, rather than mandates issued.

Meredith Barak, https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/12/28/orland-park-not-enforcing-cook-county-restaurant-gym-vaccination-mandate/

Safest city

In February 2021, Orland Park was named “Illinois’ Safest City” by Safety.com, an organization that researches safety services and providers. The rating is based on information for the FBI Crime Report, Gun Violence Archive, U.S. Census Bureau, Insurance Journal and America Health Rankings. Pekau attributed the award to good feelings between the city’s citizens and the police department.

Jeff Vorva, https://www.nwitimes.com/southland/orland-park-rated-as-safest-city-in-illinois-in-latest-rankings/article_ff58b607-7b1a-5a50-aafd-406ee3d6200b.html

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