Pekau builds re-election campaign on anti-Muslim bias
By Ray Hanania
(Originally published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group newpapers): True to his colors, Orland Park’s beleaguered Mayor Keith Pekau is turning to racism and community division to base his re-election campaign.
In a recent letter to “supporters,” Pekau launched his campaign using the racist slogan, “Stand Your Ground.”
The message in the letter is clear: It’s him, the champion of Christianity, truth, justice and the America way, versus the Muslim hordes, including me, a Christian Arab — my mother is from Bethlehem. Pekau sees no difference.
The letter distorts the February 5 board meeting where 75 to 100 residents, including many Muslims, urged village officials to adopt a “humanitarian ceasefire” resolution to end the killing of women and children in Gaza, noting he passed a resolution on Ukraine.
Pekau knew ahead of time they would be at the meeting and ordered a battalion of 12 Police Officers to attend — police who are understaffed and valiantly struggling to confront rising crime; a clear act of intimidation and bullying. He even had a lengthy speech written.
Five people spoke respectfully 3-minutes each. Pekau was not respectful, as he claims. As they spoke, he ignored them, sighed and moaned, looked away and down at papers. It was the ultimate act of disrespect by an elected official, paid for by taxpayers.
When they finished, Pekau launched into a confrontational lengthy diatribe making non-sensical and inaccurate historical assertions.
Only a few people in the audience complained as Pekau berated, bullied and insulted them. Using those few as an excuse, Pekau cleared the room, a violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act – a complaint was filed but Pekau continues to avoid the Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who struggles to do his job.
Anyone who watches the video knows Pekau is lying.
When the room was empty, Pekau resumed his diatribe 30-minutes later. And he got worse, pandering to subtle anti-Islamic sentiments. He questioned their allegiance to America by calling himself an “American,” suggesting they are not. He told them to “go to another country” but was surprised his bigotry attracted widespread media coverage and embarrassed the village.
He suggested his critics are not American, huffing, “As long as I am an American, and I am, I have taken several oaths to support and defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. I will always support America’s interests.”
Pekau has a low tolerance for criticism — all tyrants do. He claims the protestors “bullied” him while he spoke, an outright lie because they were not in the room after he resumed his diatribe.
Watch the video. The village has already edited it one time.
In his letter, Pekau portrays himself as a victim, when in fact he is the perpetrator of conflict, hate and division.
Pekau’s political campaign letter begs for money by wildly distorting that meeting, which he initially tried to brush off as unimportant.
Pekau wants the public to believe the lie he is being attacked by the Muslim hordes. Pandering to subtle Islamophobia, Pekau hopes to resurrect his leadership in Orland’s upcoming elections.
Currently, Pekau leads a fractured Republican group of extremists and fanatics. He has failed to silence more moderate and sensible Republicans who reject racism and religious intolerance as a political strategy and who unlike Pekau, includes everyone.
Pekau’s election base has dwindled. He lost big time to Congressman Sean Casten. His local candidates were rejected in last year’s elections. In the March 19 primary, Pekau’s slate of Republican Convention delegates lost to other more responsible Republicans, who are far better for the GOP. (See election results below)
Under his village leadership, taxes and fees increased significantly. All he can brag about is that no one died in Orland Park during COVID. He has consolidated all village actions under his control and eliminated open public discussion introducing new rules further restricting public engagement.
Pekau wraps himself in military service like he is some heroic Sergeant York. But he is not. He served and says he has “been to war,” suggesting no one else has. But many other Orland Parkers served this country — my father and uncle fought on the frontlines of World War II against the Nazis and other tyrants. I served honorably during the Vietnam War.
He’s building a multi-million concert hall the village doesn’t need that I am sure he will name after himself.
With his base deteriorating and popularity stumbling — he’s firing people all around him including Muslims — his subtle embrace of Islamophobia is the only re-election strategy he has left.
Pekau must hope hating on people in our community will distract from his tax hikes, poor leadership and wasteful spending, and get him the votes he needs.
The truth is Muslims are no different than Christians or Jews. They believe in the same God. (Allah is merely the Arabic word for “God” used by Muslims AND by Christian Arabs, who like my mother, was born in Bethlehem and attended the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born.)
Most Orland Park residents and leaders recognize that Muslims are good people and served this country in the military during every war going back to the Civil War, but in large numbers during World War I and World War II. Click here for info on Arab Americans and Muslims who proudly served in the U.S. Military.
Delegate Races where Pekau got creamed
Even though the presidential candidates withdrew from the race, voters could elect anyone as delegates regardless of whether the presidential nominees were in our out of the race. The key drive for voters is the local official running as a delegate. Pekau and his minions were slam dunked in every contest.
Here are the delegate and alternate delegate race results:
Delegate, National Convention 6th REP Vote For 3 ( 227 of 227 precincts reported )
REP – Kathleen A. Abbate (Trump) 11,540 27.86%
REP – Scott R. Kaspar (Trump) 11,660 28.15%
REP – Joyce Hebein (Trump) 10,982 26.51%
REP – Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman (Haley) 1,579 3.81%
REP – Chuck Augustyniak (Haley) 1,367 3.30%
REP – Mary Tolan (Haley) 1,373 3.31%
REP – Kathleen Murphy (DeSantis) 679 1.64%
REP – Shaun Murphy (DeSantis) 571 1.38%
REP – Keith Pekau (DeSantis) 983 2.37%
REP – Ross Scanio (Christie) 246 0.59%
REP – Eva Tucker (Christie) 231 0.56%
REP – Michael Jacobs (Christie) 217 0.52% Total 41,428
Alternate Delegate, Natl Conv 6th REP Vote For 3 ( 227 of 227 precincts reported )
REP – Beth A. Damas (Trump) 11,715 28.58%
REP – Larisa Calvanese (Trump) 11,399 27.81%
REP – Andrew V. Krok (Trump) 11,569 28.23%
REP – Dean Casper (Haley) 1,432 3.49%
REP – Michael Craven (Haley) 1,374 3.35%
REP – Bridget Tolan (Haley) 1,410 3.44%
REP – Grant Dungan (DeSantis) 567 1.38%
REP – Katie Donnelly (DeSantis) 665 1.62%
REP – Jane Jacobs (Christie) 341 0.83%
REP – Karl Nika (Christie) 248 0.61%
REP – Catherine Nika (Christie) 267 0.65% Total 40,987
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(Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and political columnist. This column was originally published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)
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