By Jeff Vorva
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau used a little Independence Day history to hammer home a point about anonymous critics on social media who are hammering him and the board of trustees.
At the July 1 board meeting, Pekau said attacks were unproductive.
“We used to have anonymous robocalls and anonymous letters and now it’s Facebook with fake sites and you don’t know who is behind it or who is doing it,” he said.
“They attack everyone up here. They attack the village. Ask those people for a single positive thing about the village because no one could be that bad. Ask them for a single idea of how to improve the village. More importantly, ask who they are.”
Pekau challenges them to show their face or to put a name to their comments.
“If it’s such an important idea, come here to speak and stand right there,” he said motioning to a podium used for public comment. “We would have respect for you to have the courage to come speak or go to the planning commission to speak.
“But the anonymous stuff, quite frankly, I don’t really care. If you don’t put a name to it, I’m not interested in it.”
The mayor added that as the country is prepared to celebrate its 248th birthday and signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 56 men who signed it look risks by putting their names out there for all to see.
“They put it all on the line,” Pekau said. “They put their personal wealth on the line, their families and their own lives were on the line. I think five or six of them ended up tortured and killed. Many of them lost their family belongings. They signed their names to create this nation.
“So, to all of those who are cowardly…put your name to something or come here and speak your mind. Remember that when you think about 248 years ago, they put everything on the line to create what we have – the greatest country on Earth and the greatest country that has ever existed.”