Will County Gazette

Keith Pekau, the incumbent Mayor of Orland Park, Illinois, has accused his opponent Jim Dodge of employing "lies, robocalls and convenient timing" in the lead-up to the April 1, 2025, consolidated election. Pekau's comments were made in a March 15 post on X, referring to recent robocalls targeting residents of Orland Park.

"Lies, Robocalls, and Convenient Timing – The Dodge Playbook," said Pekau. "Ah, Jim Dodge—master of deception, champion of deflection, and now, apparently, a time traveler."

According to Patch.com, Jim Dodge is challenging Pekau for the mayoral position. Dodge has previously served as Village Clerk and Village Trustee in Orland Park from 1989 to 2021. His campaign has received significant financial backing from labor unions and political action committees. Southwest Regional Publishing reports that contributions include a $5,000 donation from the Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC and a $9,000 in-kind contribution from the Chicago Federation of Labor and Industrial Union Council.

Screenshot of X Post | X

In another post on X, Pekau said that during a meeting with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on March 13, Dodge dismissed concerns about recent robocalls as "classic misinformation." Pekau refuted this claim by stating that his campaign responded with a video more than a day after the first report of the robocall on March 9. He also criticized Dodge for not denouncing any of the over 130 robocalls targeting him and his family.

The Real Story with Jeannie Ives on AM560 The Answer reported that anonymous robocalls against Mayor Pekau have been ongoing since early February, with over 150 calls reported. Pekau accused Dodge of failing to condemn these calls and being complicit in spreading misinformation. However, Dodge has denied any involvement from his campaign regarding these calls.

Pekau has been serving as Mayor since his first election in 2017. According to his website, he is a decorated combat veteran who served as an Instructor Weapons System Officer in the U.S. Air Force's F-15E Strike Eagle. He accumulated over 1,500 flight hours, including 45 combat sorties over Southern Iraq. After his military service, he founded GroundsKeeper Landscape Care and co-founded Fahrenheit Consulting.