Orland Park Patch’s Top Topics of 2011

Sometimes one story isn’t enough to tell the tale. We look back at a year full of news that can’t be summed up in a simple manner.

A blizzard should get people’s attention, even here where 10 inches of snow doesn’t even slightly faze us. But 20 inches? OK, that gets some respect from the most grizzled Midwesterner. Only in this lightning-fast and busy year would a blizzard only be the first news of the year. 2011 was packed full of changing tides. Between one of the most contested elections in years, shifts in the Orland Fire Protection District and Main Street Triangle plans taking shape, it was beyond eventful. We take a look back at a few standouts from the year. Please add your own thoughts and other stories that you think ought to be remembered. We’ve heard before that nasty storms are coming, but a lot of times it’s no big thing. About a month before the early …

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Tears of Gratitude, Stern Warnings and Welcomes: New D135 Board Members Sworn In

Orland School District 135 board members gave fond farewells while new members took their seats at the table.

Tears, warnings and new faces colored a transition night for the Orland School District 135 Board of Education. Before newcomers Tina Zekich and Joe LaMargo, as well as re-elected board member John Carmody, were sworn in, outgoing board members John Brudnak and Gregory Okon offered emotional words of gratitude for the time spent and experiences therein over the last four years on the board. Brudnak spoke from a sizable prepared statement, thanking the entire board and staff for various acts done well and lessons he learned. Brudnak also spoke warmly about previous board members and staff who served in the last four years. In closing, he thanked his wife and family for their patience and said Monday nights could be spent with them now …

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Orland Election Log

UPDATE: Julie Ann Craig Calls Political Accusations 'Sour Grapes,' Says She Will Complete Questionnaire

Village board candidate Rich Kelly said non-incumbents had a hard road and wound up splitting votes. Judges at polling stations endured a slow, hungry Election Day.

Welcome to the Orland Park Patch 2011 Election Log, our main hub for all things election. From new developments to events, announcements and positions taken on issues by the candidates, we’ll be reporting up to April 5 and beyond. Bookmark the link and check in. Offer comments. And let us know if we should be aware of something. For more details about candidates, registering and polling locations, visit the 2011 Orland Park Patch Election Central database. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ April 12 10:44 a.m. Craig Reaches Out: Julie Ann Craig says she's pleased with Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman's endorsement but dismisses the charge of bringing a political element to the Orland Park Public Library Board. "When people lose, there'…

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Election Day Marked By Low Voter Turnout

The percentage of ballots cast compared to registered voters in Orland Township was below that of suburban Cook County.

To the chagrin of candidates, polling judges and residents, Election Day 2011 will be noted for its low voter turnout. Only 16.3 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in Orland Park, which historically leads the way in early voting. That's about half a percentage point below the total number of ballots cast per registered voters in suburban Cook County. Only 511, or about 10 percent, of all registered voters in Orland Hills turned out last Tuesday, though the village had no contested elections this year. Frank L. Schmidt and Brian D. O'Neill took seats on both the Orland Hills Village and Orland Hills Library boards. Their election ended the moment they filed paperwork in December. Cook County Commissioner and Orland Park resident …

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Incumbent Keeps Seat, Newcomers Join D135 School Board

They ran different campaigns on a similar platform. Discussions of finance on all levels dominated the election season.

In one context or another, the term “finance” dominated the run-up to the Orland School District 135 race and shows no likelihood of subsiding given ongoing county, state and federal woes. Both candidates Joseph LaMargo and John Carmody—who respectively won and held on to a seat Tuesday—campaigned on their financial backgrounds. LaMargo once served as a county budget analyst, while Carmody works in commercial insurance and chairs the school district’s finance/facilities committee. Likewise, Tina Zekich, who grabbed the third remaining school board seat and who owns a small law firm, said she had the “requisite qualifications of fiscal responsibility” in her questionnaire. Gregory Okon was the only candidate who didn’t tout a financial …

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John Paul

11:08 pm on Monday, April 11, 2011

I'm proud to say that John Reiniche was hired when I was President of the School Board. He has saved the district hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. If you remember, in 2006, District 135 did a building expansion project on 3 of its buildings. Because of John's leadership ( along with Dan Werfelman) that project came in $1.5 million UNDER budget and on time. That District 135 is one …   more ›

2011 Election Issues: Blair Rhode, Orland Fire Protection District Trustee Candidate

As a follow-up to our initial and more-biographical questionnaire, we asked candidates to answer issue-specific questions about the positions for which they are campaigning.

The race for the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees has four candidates vying for two open seats. Patch spoke with candidate Blair Rhode recently about how he believes the district is perceived and steps to rework the finances. Orland Park Patch: What are the biggest problems facing the district? How do you propose to solve them? Blair Rhode: When a Tinley trustee heard that I was going to run for Orland Fire Trustee he said, “Why would Blair want to muddy his name with that district? Everybody knows that it is the most corrupt district around.” That is a sad comment on a great group of fire fighters.  I know many of the Orland Firefighters and they are quality people.  I have had several occasions to need the services of …

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