Stay or Change: McLaughlin and Gorman on Orland Post-Election

Great differences in opinions on the 2011 Consolidated Election are sounding like the beginning of a certain Charles Dickens novel.

Supporters of the Orland Park United slate, namely Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin who endorsed the three winning candidates for village board, say the voters have spoken and they believe the village should stay on its charted course. But those behind the Fiscal Voices of Orland candidates say otherwise. Cook County 17th District Commissioner Liz Gorman backed FVO hopefuls in the fire district and village board races, and they say if 60 percent of the village’s voters chose FVO and the three other independents who ran, they want that direction to change.

For Orland Park, a low turnout is surprising given this election was one of the most heavily contested in recent memories of many. Incumbents were challenged on all boards of trustees in town, as well as all school districts except for District 146. While results won’t be official until later in April, the decision after polls closed on April 5 had the OPU slate ahead of the other six candidates, with about 40 percent of the ballots cast in their favor.

‘The (OPU) slate had the right message and that message is to keep doing what we are doing,” McLaughlin said. “Now we’ll move forward with road widening projects on LaGrange Road and 143rd Street, and we’ll keep moving forward with the Main Street Triangle development. Over the last few years, everyone is concerned with finances, so we’ll look to make further cuts in costs.”

Gorman said a main reason that led to the formation of FVO slate involved feedback from Orland Park residents who were unhappy with the village’s spending and contract practices.

“It was a mandate for change that Orland won’t see,” Gorman said. “Sixty percent voted against the incumbents, and because the field was so diluted the majority couldn’t be stuck where it needed to be. If the independent candidates were not in the race the (FVO) slate would’ve won overwhelmingly.”

In spite of the village board loss, Gorman described the FVO candidates’ placement in that race as “a real accomplishment,” adding that she believes “the status quo in Orland Park has never been challenged.”

Thoughts on what should happen next with the and the village’s plans for a walkable village center with retail and apartments around the 143rd Street Metra Station were distinctly split between the incumbents and challengers. The OPU slate consisting of incumbents Edward Schussler and Patricia Gira, along with newcomer Carole Ruzich, supported continuing the village’s plans to build the area up, while the six challengers suggested other approaches.

FVO challenger John Brudnak suggested incorporating the Orland Plaza into the development plans, and ending litigation between the village, landowner and tenants. Fellow FVO candidate Steven Williams said too much retail already exists in Orland Park, and more will only stress businesses in the area.

Independent challenger John Fotopoulos suggested alternative dispute resolution to settle the legal matter of how much money is owed to whom between the village, landowner and tenants, rather than more months of expensive litigation. Independents Tom Cunningham and Rich Kelly, along with FVO candidate Molly McAvoy Flynn, all disagreed with the village’s actions regarding the Triangle.

“It’s always getting closer and there are still talks going on,” McLaughlin said about the potential of settling the Triangle dispute. “We are still talking to the owner of the plaza. We can’t say when there will be (a settlement).”

McLaughlin also said the village is in discussion with a developer to build up the area.

The Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees race also attracted attention, originally starting with five candidates and ending with three. In the end, FVO candidates Blair Rhode and Christopher Evoy won seats on the board, and after the results came in, Rhode expressed a desire to take closer looks at the district’s finances.

“That’s what set this all off,” Gorman said, about backing candidates in different races. “People both in and out of Orland were concerned with the district’s finances, especially being the largest in the state.”

McLaughlin wished the new fire district trustees well, acknowledging that while the district is a separate entity from the village, they all serve the same taxpayers.

Leading up to the election, several people speculated that backing candidates was Gorman’s first move in prelude to running for mayor in 2013.  After April 5, Gorman congratulated the victors and said she’ll now be focusing specifically on Cook County matters.

“I’m not throwing my hat in the ring now,” she said about running for mayor. “The only hat for me now is a White Sox hat.”