134 years of mayors, money, and power in one southwest Chicago suburb. Two generations of the Pekau family. A park named after the machine. A Cultural Center torn down. $33 million to a campaign donor. Every fact documented. Every source public.
PMA Financial Consultants, hired by the Dodge administration, revealed what Pekau's full plan would cost: a trajectory from $67 million when he took office to a projected $251 million by 2027. The numbers were not fully disclosed until after Pekau lost the election.
Donald Pekau Sr. first won a trustee seat in 1969. His son Keith Pekau was forced from the mayor's office in 2025. Between them: near-identical party names, the same selective enforcement of rules, the same use of government power for personal ends — and the same exit under pressure when the conduct became public.
"You have to wonder what incident marred Pekau's personality growing up as a child in this region. Was it that his father, who served as an undistinguished trustee for a few years until 1975, didn't get the recognition that the son believes he deserved?"Ray Hanania · Suburban Chicagoland · May 1, 2024 · After Pekau removed Frederick T. Owens' name from Village Hall · suburbanchicagoland.com
Every accusation below is drawn from a primary source — archived newspaper pages, court documents, official government websites, and investigative reporting. Every source is linked. Every fact is verifiable.
Mayor Keith Pekau justified the demolition of the Orland Park Cultural Center by claiming it "needs several million dollars of repair." He said the village offered it to Orland Park School District 135 for one dollar — and the schools declined, he claimed, because the repairs were "too much for them to do."
The community has a different question. Keith Pekau is the son of Donald Pekau Sr. — a trustee who served under Mayor Melvin Doogan and disappeared from the board exactly when the December 1975 scandal broke. Doogan's name is on that park. The Cultural Center at Doogan Park was built during the Doogan era. Keith Pekau has shown a consistent pattern of erasing or demolishing anything connected to the mayors who came before him — he removed Frederick T. Owens' name from Village Hall and replaced it with his own. He removed the names of multiple honored former officials from village buildings.
The question is not merely whether the building needed repair. The question is: Was a community asset truly unsalvageable — or was this an act of political vindictiveness by a mayor whose father was associated with the very machine the park honors? The community never got an independent structural assessment made public. They got Pekau's word. And Pekau's word, as this record documents in 19 separate items, has not always been reliable.
"The old library needs several million dollars of repair. We did offer it to schools for a dollar and they declined because the repairs are too much for them to do. We think it's more appropriate to expand the park, so that's the plan."Keith Pekau · Regional News · May 3, 2023 · Announcing demolition of the Orland Park Cultural Center at Doogan Park · No independent structural assessment was released publicly · southwestregionalpublishing.com
Arab American residents of Orland Park came to a public board meeting with 800 signatures. They asked for a ceasefire resolution — the same kind the village had adopted for Ukraine. Pekau told them to leave the country. Then he cleared the room. The Illinois Attorney General ruled it violated the Open Meetings Act. Then Pekau used the village government website to attack the private citizen who complained.
"If you're an American citizen and you don't feel that way, you can certainly go and fight, go to another country and support that country, and all the power to you if you chose to do that."Keith Pekau · February 5, 2024 · To Arab American Orland Park residents presenting an 800-signature petition · Recorded and broadcast on YouTube · Arab News, February 6, 2024
| Element | Donald Pekau Sr. · 1969–1975 | Keith Pekau · 2017–2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Party Name | "People Responsible to Orland" — PRO | "People Over Politics" — POP |
| Entry Path | Zoning Board of Appeals → Village Trustee | Village landscaping contracts → Mayor |
| Developer Pattern | Rafacz farm/Urban Investment annexation. Pre-vote developer meetings. Snow removal contract to Rafacz family. | Edwards Realty $33M. Horton Insurance $4.5M. KTJ law firm $3M. Zeigler Auto $4.5M. All campaign donors. |
| Ethics | Zoning ordinance waived for Orland State Bank; enforced against outsider Gidlund. "Government by men, not by law." | Ethics rules repealed while under investigation. Village manager fired for commissioning investigation. |
| Minority Targeting | Valentine Slachetka — music shop owner targeted with selective license conditions, 1975. | Arab American residents — "go to another country," cleared from public meeting. AG: OMA violated, 2024. |
| Erasing History | Left the board as the era was publicly exposed and documented. | Removed Frederick Owens' name from Village Hall. Removed multiple honored officials' names. Added his own. |
| Exit | Disappeared from board the exact month the scandal article published. Described as "ex-trustee" and "still on board" simultaneously. | Lost 57%–43%. Court restraining order. TRO upheld. Moved to Colorado. Still attacking Dodge from out of state. |
| The Quote | "A curious system of government by men, not by law... The situation mocks justice." — Tinley Park Star/Tribune, Dec 21, 1975 | "I will not be silenced." — Keith Pekau, after court TRO, August 2025 |
From a farming village of 500 to a 57,000-resident city anchoring southwest Cook County. Every annexation, every building permit, every sewer connection ran through a board where the rules applied differently depending on who you were.
Every major event, sourced. Red markers indicate documented wrongdoing. Green markers indicate reform and accountability.
Through six years of watching Pekau's board approve deals that enriched campaign donors, Jim Dodge cast his vote on the record and kept going to work. Then he ran. Then he won. Then he governed like a professional.
"This is the first day, or the onset, to a return to dignity where we will bring back respect, transparency, and civility to Orland Park. Together, we will breathe new life into our community, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued."Jim Dodge · Election Night, April 1, 2025 · After defeating Keith Pekau
Every newspaper URL links to the exact archived page on Newspapers.com. Every web article links to the original source. Every fact on this site can be verified independently.
Questions, corrections, additional documentation, or tips about ongoing accountability issues in Orland Park may be sent to the webmaster.
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This research was compiled from 47 confirmed public record primary sources including 20 archived newspaper pages, court documents, and official government records. All sources linked. All claims verifiable by any member of the public.
All sources referenced on this site are public record. All newspaper URLs link to archived pages on Newspapers.com accessible to any subscriber.