Orland Park withholds Finance and TIF audits and brings State censure
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza slaps the wrist of Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau as TIFs, Taxes, and Audits continue to plague the Southwest suburban village, but is it enough?
By Ray Hanania
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza suspended the Village of Orland Park from the Local Debt Recovery Program, which helps governments collect outstanding debt due to them.
Mendoza, who has been slow to respond to Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau’s financial delinquency, stopped short of imposing the most severe punishment, withholding payment of sales tax revenues to the Village.
But, Mendoza, whose policies I normally enthusiastically support, also gave Pekau one week until Oct. 17 to explain why her office should not step in and conduct a forced audit, an audit the state does itself at village expense.
Although it is welcome news that the State has finally taken notice of Orland Park’s growing financial problems and excessive spending, it’s tragic it has ignored Orland’s financial problems for far too long.
In contrast, Mendoza did not hesitate to impose tougher sanctions on the Village of Dolton and its Mayor Tiffany Henyard for also failing to file two annual financial audits.
Orland Park is a predominantly White community of more than 58,000 residents with a strong financial base and a median household income of $95,000. Dolton, in contrast, is a predominantly Black community of only 21,300 residents with a weak financial base and a near-poverty median household income of only $54,700.
I guess the issue is that Orland Park has a larger voter base with a higher voter turnout and is home to many residents who hold important positions with the region’s powerful unions.
To Read the rest of this column: click this link to Ray Hanania’s syndicated columns page.
CLICK THIS LINK TO READ THE CORRESPONDENT BETWEEN STATE COMPTROLLER SUSANA MENDOZA AND ORLAND PARK
Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter who has lived in Orland Park since 1986. He writes for many suburban newspapers including The Regional News. For more information on this and other topics visit his website at hanania.com, to get information on subscribing to his columns and video podcasts below. email him at [email protected].
Subscribe to Ray’s Syndicated Columns
Click this link to subscribe to his FREE Columns
A Message from Ray Hanania
I write four to five (4-5) columns each week on mainstream American politics civering Chicago, Illinois and the nation, and also columns on seniors and slice of life humor and serious issues.
I hope you will subscribe, enjoy the columns and share your feedback on my system’s new chat format at my website at www.RayHanania.com or www.Hanania.com, where all of the columns (FREE and PAID) are now hosted and distributed.
You can subscribe as a PAID subscriber, or as a FREE subscriber. Each week several columns like this distributed FREE of charge.
Again, a Big Thank You for supporting my writings, radio shows and podcasts. Your support means a lot to me.
Subscribe by clicking this link to confront government bullying and protect a forum for full information disclosure.
His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
Follow RayHanania at Twitter
- Orland Park Statement on Settlement of William Sanchez vs. Village of Orland Park, et al., Lawsuit - December 5, 2025
- Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas column explores options to help pay property taxes by Dec. 15 - December 5, 2025
- WalletHub releases Credit Card Debt study, shows $16 billion increase - December 5, 2025
Comment on “Orland Park withholds Finance and TIF audits and brings State censure”