Will County Gazette

Keith Pekau's mayoral campaign announced a forum at the Orland Park Library on March 7, which was live-streamed for transparency. The announcement was made in a March 4 press release, and opponent Jim Dodge declined the invitation to attend.

According to a press release, the Orland Park Mayoral Forum took place on March 7 at 8:30 a.m. at the Orland Park Library, with Mayor Keith Pekau participating while Jim Dodge did not attend. The event featured audience-submitted questions drawn at random and read by a supporter from each campaign. Pekau had five minutes for opening and closing statements and three minutes per question. The forum was livestreamed on YouTube for transparency, and Pekau invited Dodge to bring his own videographer, but Dodge declined to participate.

Mayor Pekau emphasized the importance of giving Orland Park residents a fair opportunity to hear directly from the candidates ahead of the election. "Ahead of the election, Orland Park residents deserve the opportunity to hear from both candidates and I am committed to answering their questions in a thoughtful forum," Mayor Pekau said in the March 4 press release. "I strongly hope Jim Dodge participates in this forum. With the audience being allowed to submit questions and a supporter from both campaigns being the ones who read the questions, I believe this is not only fair but something we owe our voters."

Pekau, a decorated combat veteran and former Air Force instructor weapons system officer, entered politics in 2017 by defeating a 28-year incumbent and winning reelection in 2021, according to his website. A lifelong resident of Orland Park, he built a successful career as a small business owner, founding GroundsKeeper Landscape Care and co-founding Fahrenheit Consulting. He lives in his hometown with his wife, Betty.