McLaughlin Announces Bid for Re-Election

Orland Park United Includes New Face

Standing before a packed room of supporters, Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin announced on November 16 that he will seek re-election in the April municipal elections.

“Orland Park continues to be the location of choice for national companies and people who want to live here,” McLaughlin said, sharing the significant economic improvements that the village has witnessed since the 2009 economic recession.

“Commercial investment in Orland Park in 2009 totaled $11 million and we’re already at $96 million for this year,” McLaughlin told the crowd. Residential investment has improved as well with numbers for 2009 totaling $14 million and the village being at $31 million before the close of 2012.

“Whole Foods Market chose Orland Park. Berkot’s opened near the village’s Sportsplex and we’re looking forward to Pete’s Fresh Market coming to town, adding to the existing grocery stores and other chains looking at Orland Park,” McLaughlin said.

The incumbent Village Board members will run as the non-partisan Orland Park United.

McLaughlin’s tenure as mayor has included significant milestones in the village’s 120 year history, among them the preservation of nearly 300 acres of open space. McLaughlin created the village’s Open Lands Commission in 1995 to save open areas in the village.

Intersection improvements at 159th and LaGrange, 159th and Harlem and most recently at 143rd and LaGrange are among the incumbent’s prized transportation accomplishments. “Traffic is always a major concern among village residents and Orland Park now has three fully improved intersections that make travel easier,” McLaughlin said.

This spring’s debut of the pedestrian bridge at 141st and LaGrange is a long awaited transportation improvement. “Many residents walk and bicycle throughout the community,” McLaughlin said. “The pedestrian bridge will offer safe passage from one side of town to the other,” the mayor said.

“The incumbent board members are very proud of what we’ve accomplished for the Village of Orland Park,” McLaughlin said. “Residents have seen firsthand the effects of electrical aggregation from last spring’s referendum, saving 40% on the cost of electrical service,” McLaughlin said.

“The village’s sound finances are illustrated with the consistently high ratings from Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s,” McLaughlin said. “Our conscientious planning enabled the board to bring back the Property Tax Rebate Program after it was suspended in 2009 because of the economy,” the mayor said, adding, “And, Orland Park was the first municipality in the State of Illinois to earn a perfect score for transparency in government from the Illinois Policy Institute.”

The creation of a downtown for the community is among the mayor’s top priorities.

Comprised of four key areas near 143rd Street and LaGrange Road, Orland Park’s pedestrian friendly downtown incudes the village’s original downtown at 143rd and Beacon Avenue. The four components include the civic corridor along Ravinia Avenue, where the village, library and township buildings are located. It includes Orland Park Crossing Mall, the Old Orland Historic District and the Main Street area, where Flaherty and Collins is currently building the upscale apartment complex Ninety 7 Fifty On The Park.

“Downtown Orland Park will be a pedestrian friendly area where people can live, shop, eat and enjoy everything that Orland Park has to offer,” McLaughlin said. 

Enhancing the village’s recreational, cultural and special events has been a priority for McLaughlin and the Village Board. “The village’s Arts Commission hit the ground running when it was formed and these volunteers from all areas of the arts have brought downtown quality events to Orland Park. Our Recreation Department offers programs and events for all ages and the village’s Orland Park Theatre Troupe is one of the best community theater groups in the region,” McLaughlin said.

The village’s parks system is a source of pride for the Village Board and residents alike. “The village is home to beautiful parks, ballfields, bike trails and open spaces, many of which can be used year round,” McLaughlin said. “The village’s Winter Wonderland at Centennial Park is a winter destination with the sledding, ice skating and special events that the village sponsors there,” the mayor said.

“This board can be very proud of everything that we’ve accomplished for Orland Park,” McLaughlin said. “We continue to attract national companies as a prime Midwest location. We provide the best in village services and people continue to choose Orland Park as the best place to live, raise a family or retire. Orland Park is the location of choice,” he said.

Village Clerk Dave Maher, who has served on the board since 1996, will not run in April, wanting to spend more time with his family. Addressing the crowd, Maher called the Orland Park Board of Trustees “the best village board in Cook County.”

McLaughlin called each of the board members to the stage, including Trustee Kathy Fenton, Trustee Brad O’Halloran and Trustee Jim Dodge.

New to the Orland Park United ticket is 14 year Orland Park resident John Mehalek who is running for Village Clerk.

Dodge was first elected to the board as village clerk in 1989 with Fenton and O’Halloran coming on in 1993. Dodge was appointed village trustee when the late Trustee Bill Vogel died in 1996 and Maher was named to replace Dodge as clerk.

Mehalek served on the Community Consolidated School District 146 Board for eight years, serving as president for two and chairing the board’s Finance Committee for six.  An I.B.E.W. Local 134 Electrician, Mehalek serves as a project manager for private electrical contractors and teaches for the I.B.E.W. Apprentice Program. Mehalek was an Orland Youth Association Basketball Commissioner for six years, is a parishioner and volunteer at St. Michael Church, coached OYA Girls Softball, Boys Basketball and Boys Baseball. He and his wife, Michele, are band parents with District 146 and Carl Sandburg High School and have three children.

“Every one of these people loves Orland Park,” McLaughlin said, referring to the Orland Park United ticket, adding, “Orland Park has twice been named ‘Money Magazine’s’ best 100 places to live and people who live here know why,” he said.

The mayor added, “Orland Park is one of the best communities in the country and Orland Park United is looking forward to continuing the work that we’ve started as we guide the village and maintain its status as one of the premier municipalities in the nation.”