Looking back at last week's election

Looking back at last week's election
For the first time in a long time, Orland Park seemed to have one political spirit. It seemed like everyone had come together for the betterment of Orland Park.
I moved to Orland Park back in 1985 and it was still filled with prairies and vacant lots that soon after were filled with new homes. I knew the elected officials back then, Mayor Fred Owens and then trustee Dan McLaughlin and Tom Charnagorsky were great friends. Tinley Park, where I lived before moving to Orland Park, was the big political pond back then where another great leader, Ed Zabrocki was building his base.
It all made for great columns at the Daily Southtown, when that was a great community newspaper, and then the Chicago Sun-Times, another newspaper that has since fallen on hard ethical, skilled and financial times.
This last election, for some reason, reminded me of the good old days of Southwest Suburban politics where everyone had the same goal, to build this area up and make it better.
For the most part, the election went smoothly. John Fotopoulos, who has run unsuccessfully for office several times before, fell short. It seemed like he was a guaranteed winner. I told him that before the election. He was first on the ballot. He was also the only independent to file, which was important because the last time he ran, he took votes away from the slate of challengers trying to unseat controversial Village Trustee Pat Gira.
This time, though, Fotopoulos had no impact on the election.
Fotopoulos told Orland Patch editor Ben Feldheim, a good young reporter, that the low turnout caused his loss. He then took a shot at Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman who is also the Republican Committeeman arguing that Liz failed to slate someone against McLaughlin.
That was kind of a dumb comment. Sometimes, it's better to acknowledge that you lost because you failed to get your message out. And what was Fotopoulos' message? I don't know. He says he didn't have the money to reach voters, but he is an attorney and I drive by his name in big letters on his law firm every morning when I head out to work. Was it the money, or the lack of a message?
Bashing Gorman is certainly a big mistake. Liz Gorman has done so much for taxpayers. Remember, I used to be one of her critics, a long time ago. It was all politics then. But since then, Gorman proved she is a courageous and creative leader. She was fearless, too. I remember when she attended the Taxpayer Protest meeting I organized many years ago, while I was criticizing her politics, and that impressed me. I thought wow, you can hit her but she won't back down?
And then she led the fight against rising taxes, which was the very purpose of the meeting I organized. More than 100 people attended at the time. Gorman was responsible for a lot of great changes, including forcing the Cook County Board to repeal the excessive sales tax hike imposed by former Cook County Board Chairman Todd Stroger. She didn't have to do that. But she did.
She defended her seat against a formidable challenge from the 19th Ward and their candidate Pat Maher, the son of the former Village Clerk, and she has probably done more to make voting count in Orland Township and the suburbs, too, for that matter.
Bashing Gorman was a mistake by Fotopoulos. Unjustified. And maybe a major part of the reason why he lost and did so badly this time is his failure to work with Gorman and other leaders in the region.
It didn't help that someone sent out a very ugly attack against Brad O'Halloran, another elected official I respect a lot. The robo-call was vicious and offensive. Fotopoulos was blamed by his political foes in a mailer and I think everyone believed he was behind it. That robo-call may have cost him the election.
The robo-caller voice was that of a woman, with a fake name, and ended saying "This call is paid for by ..." and then it just ended.
Ironically, O'Halloran was the only elected official to join Gorman in challenging the financing of the Ninety 7 Fifty development near 143rd and LaGrange Road. O'Halloran came under vicious attack from Gira, who has been a big disappointment.
Rather than attack others, elected officials and candidates for elective office should instead spend their time telling people why they should be elected and detail their creative ideas to make this a better community. Voters tend to respond more to a clearly defined vision than to balls-out mudslinging.
Criticism is ok, but what we have seen in the past hasn't been criticism. It's been vicious and way beyond the line of doing any good. Voters are smart. They can see that.
The voter turnout was low, only 5,629 people voted. But the vote was decisive. It wasn't even close. 
I believe that contrary to popular belief, people who don't won't are not protesting "bad government leadership," but rather many are satisfied with the way government is working. They are happy with what government does and they recognize that taxes do increase and must. Who else is going to pay to upgrade our roads and provide services?
Remember, they implemented early voting to help bring out more voters, but the reality is that all that happened was that people who always vote ended up voting early and people who never vote but can, didn't. Nothing will make those people vote, it seems.
Outside of the Fotopoulos debacle and the ugly robo-call, the election went pretty smoothly and it suggests maybe a new era of our leaders working together for the betterment of the community. Gorman and McLaughlin are both strong leaders. They can do a lot more together than they can apart.
-- Ray Hanania

Results in the Orland Fire Protection District and Village elections

The Orland Fire Protection District winners John Brudnak and Jayne Schirmacher won in a landslide endorsement of their promise to join the current board leadership to bring fiscal integrity to the district's spending while also maintaining the highest level of emergency protections and services.
The former board of three members, President James Hickey and Trustees Blair Rhode and Chris Evoy have saved taxpayers more than $4 million during the past two years and they have kept budget spending below $30 million during the past two years, the first time the budget has been under $30 million in five years. Had the new board not changed the old policies, the current budget would easily be over $34 million or more.
Here are the election results:

Trustee, Orland Fire Protection District, 6yr
Registered Voters: 47,973	Vote For 2
Ballots Cast: 6,147	53 of 53 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 12.81%		%	Votes
John Brudnak (NonPartisan)		24.33%	2,361
Jayne Schirmacher (NonPartisan)		27.54%	2,672
Marty McGill (NonPartisan)		16.12%	1,564
Glenn Michalek (NonPartisan)		17.52%	1,700
Larry Moran (NonPartisan)		14.5%	1,407

The Village of Orland Park elections
Despite the negative and anonymous robocall which viciously attacked Brad O'Halloran that O'Halloran's team blamed on the lone independent challenger in the trustee race, John Fotopoulos, O'Halloran easily won re-election. Fotopoulos seemed to have a strong advantage being in the First Ballot position at the top of the ballot, and being the only challenger to go after a Village board seat.
Clearly, the negative response of the robocall, which falsely threw charges of domestic violence against O'Halloran, may have backfired on whomever funded the vicious robocall. (Click here to read about the Domestic Violence Robocall.)
Fotopoulos, who has tried several times to win a seat on the Village Board, apparently failed because he didn't get his own message out. The negative attack against O'Halloran was poorly planned and a critical mistake in election campaigning. The viciousness of the robocall angered those who condemn domestic violence, because they saw an important issue like Domestic Violence being used so carelessly and insensitively for an election. It was like exploiting an important issue. The fact that the robocall was so obviously fake with no attribution synched the deal and the blame was cast on Fotopoulos.
O'Halloran was clearly targeted because four years ago, he received the lowest (though large) vote of the three incumbent trustees.
In the end, mudslinging proves that it doesn't work. It's one thing to tell voters WHY someone should not get elected as Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman did when she was challenged by controversy-plagued former OFPD President Pat Maher for her county seat. It's another thing to simply attack someone else.
Voters in Orland Park are satisfied with the performance of Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin and the village board. O'Halloran has been an independent voice on the board, the lone member to speak out against the finance deal for the controversial Ninety 7 Fifty project.

President, Village of Orland Park
Registered Voters: 45,886	Vote For 1
Ballots Cast: 5,620	50 of 50 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 12.25%		%	Votes
Daniel J. McLaughlin (First Orland Party)		100%	4,319
Clerk, Village of Orland Park
Registered Voters: 45,886	Vote For 1
Ballots Cast: 5,620	50 of 50 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 12.25%		%	Votes
John C. Mehalek (First Orland Party)		100%	4,119
Trustee, Village of Orland Park
Registered Voters: 45,886	Vote For 3
Ballots Cast: 5,620	50 of 50 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 12.25%		%	Votes
John Fotopoulos (Republican)		20.84%	2,755
Kathleen M. Fenton (First Orland Party)		26.52%	3,506
James V. Dodge (First Orland Party)		26.74%	3,535
Brad S. O'Halloran (First Orland Party)		25.9%	3,424
Library Trustee, Village of Orland Park, 6yr
Registered Voters: 45,886	Vote For 2
Ballots Cast: 5,620	50 of 50 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 12.25%		%	Votes
Linda Zec-Prajka (NonPartisan)		18.96%	1,537
Catherine Lebert (NonPartisan)		30.07%	2,438
Diane Jennings (NonPartisan)		33.05%	2,680
James McCague (NonPartisan)		17.92%	1,453

School District 135 Election Results:

School Board Member, Orland 135, 4yr
Registered Voters: 39,074	Vote For 4
Ballots Cast: 5,284	43 of 43 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 13.52%		%	Votes
Sandra J. Kulak (NonPartisan)		19.41%	3,492
Laura S. Berry (NonPartisan)		19.03%	3,423
Michael R. Maratea (NonPartisan)		16.48%	2,964
Ann M. Gentile (NonPartisan)		8.88%	1,598
Nathan R. Jaisingh (NonPartisan)		3.45%	621
Michael F. Carroll (NonPartisan)		19.48%	3,504
Mary A. Bragg (NonPartisan)		5.66%	1,018
Tom Cunningham (NonPartisan)		7.61%	1,368

Click here to check out ALL of the election results for Cook County's suburbs.

Orland Fire Protection District sweeps out old regime members

Orland Fire Protection District sweeps out old regime members
Voters in the Orland Fire Protection District swept out the last two remaining allies of the former administration, Glenn Michalek and Marty McGill as trustees, electing in their place two reformers who joined the board's new majority in pursuing change and spending restraints.
John Brudnak, who is a member of the Orland Fire Protection District's Commission, and Jayne Schirmacher, were elected in a landslide victory Tuesday, April 9, 2013 to replace Michalek and McGill who was often at odds with the board's new leadership President Jim Hickey and Trustees Blair Rhode and Chris Evoy. Rhode and Evoy were elected in a similar landslide victory in April 2011 following voter protests against rising costs at the Fire District which serves all of Orland Park, Orland Hills and Orland Township.
The Orland Fire Protection District provides fire, emergency medical, and rescue services to the Village of Orland Park and Orland Hills, and unincorporated Orland Township. The Fire District is 33 square miles and resides within Cook County Illinois, serving a population of nearly 80,000. Orland Fire District is located about 20 miles southwest of Chicago.
With only one of 53 precincts still waiting to report final vote totals, Brudnak received 24.04 percent of the vote or 2,263 votes and Schirmacher, a newcomer to the Fire District, received 27.59 percent or 2,597 votes.
McGill, who has previously criticized Hickey and the board majority, received 16.21 percent or only 1,526 votes and Michalek, who often remained neutral in the board's internal politics, received 17.57 percent of the votes or 1,654 votes.
A 5th independent candidate Larry Moran received 14.59 percent of the vote or a total of 1,373 votes.
The Brudnak-Schirmacher election victory is credited in a large part to the alliance with Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman who beat back a challenge from controversy plagued former Fire Board President Pat Maher against her county seat in 2010. Maher then withdrew from a race for re-election to the Fire District in March 2011.
Under Hickey, Rhode and Evoy the Orland Fire Protection District has significantly reduced spending while maintaining the high level of emergency fire service to the residents. In the past two budgets submitted by the Hickey-Rhode-Evoy board leadership, the Fire District has for the first time approved a budget that was under $30 million. In the three prior years, the budget was over $30 million.
Hickey was quoted as stating when presenting the current budget, “This is the 2nd time that our budget would be under $30 million in the past six years now. Previously, our budget was over $30 million and was on its way to hitting $40 million based on prior spending habits. That was unacceptable. But we believe the budget reflects our continued concern for the needs of taxpayers who want great fire service at a better managed cost.”
Hickey noted that last year was the first time the budget was under $30 million in the prior five years.
The new Hickey-Rhode-Evoy leadership team trimmed back nearly $4 million in spending. By holding the line on spending, they also saved taxpayers as much as $3 million more that many believe would have been added to the past administration's $30 million plus budgets based on their current trajectory of spending. (Had the budget cuts not been imposed the budget would have steadily increased in 2011 to $32 million under the former Maher board and to $34 million in 2012.)
Gorman's backing of the Brudnak-Schirmacher slate drew some criticism from lingering allies of controversy plagued former fire chief Bryant Krizik who resigned following a public scandal and criticism of a laptop computer he controlled at the Fire District that was discovered to have had pornography among its files. (Read story.)
McGill drew public ire when he said publicly that had he owned the controversial laptop, he would have thrown it in the Calumet River rather than turn it over to investigators, a comment that his critics used in the election to unseat him. (Read McGill's comments.)
Two of Krizik's allies, both former members of the Senior Advisory board, constantly attacked the new leadership and often personally attacked Rhode. One of the activists is distantly related to Krizik. They are both close allies of McGill. The activists often also attacked Gorman, displaying how at odds they were with the district's voters who demanded change in 2011.
Gorman's backing clearly helped elect Brudnak and Schirmacher. Gorman is recognized as a fighter for taxpayers. She led the charge to repeal the odious sales tax hike imposed by former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger even when many members of the County Board abandoned the fight. Her stubborn refusal to give up the battle resulted in the two-stage repeal of the sales tax increase, reducing the tax burden on Cook County Taxpayers including in the Orland Fire District. 
At the last board meeting, McGill conceded he thought he faced an uphill fight for re-election.
(The writer, Ray Hanania, is a columnist and professional media and political consultant. One of his clients includes the Orland Fire Protection District. Read more.)

Trustee, Orland Fire Protection District, 6yr
Registered Voters: 47,973	Vote For 2
Ballots Cast: 5,964	52 of 53 Precincts Reported
Turnout: 12.43%		%	Votes
John Brudnak (NonPartisan)		24.04%	2,263
Jayne Schirmacher (NonPartisan)		27.59%	2,597
Marty McGill (NonPartisan)		16.21%	1,526
Glenn Michalek (NonPartisan)		17.57%	1,654
Larry Moran (NonPartisan)		14.59%	1,373

end

Brudnak and Schirmacher receive across-the-board endorsements

Brudnak and Schirmacher receive across-the-board endorsements
John Brudnak, the Orland Fire Protection District commissioner, and Jayne Schirmacher are running for two contested seats on the Orland Fire Protection District.
Brudnak is a professional who cares about taxpayers and Schirmacher has much respect in the community. Brudnak's ballot punch number is 271 and Schirmacher's ballot punch number is 272.
Both candidates have received across-the-board endorsements from local elected officials. It's unprecedented when the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, and village and township officials all agree on the same thing.
But that's just what has happened.
Brudnak and Schirmacher have been endorsed by Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin, a Democrat, Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman, a Republican, and by Orland Park Trustee Brad O'Halloran who is an independent. But the endorsements also reach past Orland Park to include the Township.
Brudnak and Schirmacher also have the endorsements of Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings and Orland Township Supervisor Paul O'Grady.
You can't get better than that.
Brudnak and Schirmacher want to continue the change that Jim Hickey, Chris Evoy and Blair Rhode. Before Hickey became Board President and Evoy and Blair joined the board two years ago, the Fire District was spending money and increasing taxes like crazy.
Brudnak and Schumacher support the changes brought to the Orland Fire Protection District by Hickey, Evoy and Blair and oppose the excess spending that characterized the old board that was ousted. The new board leadership hired one of the most qualified people to serve as fire chief, Ken Brucki.
The new board removed the disgraced former Fire Chief whose taxpayer funded laptop was discovered to contain pornography. It's amazing that he continues to have supporters, including three former activists who undermined the Senior Advisory Commission and turned it into a political group that ended up collapsing. A new senior group is being formed and it will not be political. The allies of the disgraced former fire chief will no longer be able to undermine the group's true mission to help seniors.
(It might be wise for voters to look up these activists. One moved from Oakbrook Terrace and another is related to the disgraced former fire chief.)
Brudnak and Schirmacher are a part of the move to cleanup the Orland Fire Protection District, make it accountable to the taxpayers (the district for the first time is now transparent and information can be obtained off the district's web site), the budget spending has been brought under control, saving more than $4 million in the past two years alone.
Brudnak and Schirmacher support that mission which is driven by the demands made by taxpayers to bring change.
The taxpayers are not listening to the privileged voices who were tied to the disgraced former fire chief and his political allies, most of whom have been removed from the board.
(Reader's note: I work as a communications contractor for the Orland Fire Protection District receiving a contract salary that is 25 percent less than the person who held the position before me. But I live in Orland Park and I support the mission to hold the line on spending, to focus on essentials, to make services efficient and to remember that our mission is two-fold, protect our residents and manage the taxpayer's money responsibly.)
-- Ray Hanania