Newcomers Take Seats on Orland Fire Board

With most of the votes tallied on Tuesday night, Blair Rhode called his and Christopher Evoy's victory a sign that greater transparency and financial responsibility at the Orland Fire Protection District is needed.

Rhode said he hopes other candidates are open to inspecting and criticizing every contract and every employee hired within the last several years.

"Everything is on the table," he said.

Rhode was even critical of incumbent Bob Cacciato, who received support from the local firefighters union but failed to keep his seat.

"I may misunderstand what a trustee is, but I believe they represent the taxpayer," Rhode said. "I have a problem when the union backs a candidate openly and financially."

Cacciato and Evoy could not be reached by phone.

The board governing the Orland Fire Protection District is comprised of five trustees who meet the fourth Wednesday of each month. A full term lasts six years.

This year’s election began with five candidates—two incumbents and three challengers—who competed for two seats. By election day only three of them remained.

Board president and candidate Patrick Maher decided not to run for re-election after eight years on the board. In a letter to the news media, dated March 4, Maher stated he did not want to put his family through “another grueling political campaign.”

In a personal interview several days later, Maher said he was proud of his time at the district but looking forward to spending more time with his kids. He called Orland Fire the envy of other fire districts, elaborating on what he considers its accomplishments.

Janice Brooks bowed out of the race the next week, citing personal issues with her family but declining to comment further.

Remaining candidates Evoy and Rhode took issue primarily with the fire district's spending habits and endorsed bringing the district back under the control of the village if the residents of Orland Park and Orland Hills agreed.

, specifically, said he was eager to take a look inside the fire district's ledger and see how it could reasonably spend the kind of money it does. said he was troubled by the board's lack of disputation. As members of the same slate, they differed on little.

Incumbent Bob Cacciato defended the district's size, noting its administrative efficiencies and forewarning of its pension problems. He said he was open to a referendum dismantling the district, though he championed its independence from the Village Board. In his issue-focused questionnaire, he raised an important question: "If the fire department were now part of their budget, where would they get the money to run it?"