PRESS RELEASE Contact Keith Pekau
Telephone 708-670-9573 Email Keith4mayor@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2016
McLaughlin Too Busy to Attend Veterans and Senior Forums Hopes to Run Out The Clock Without Facing Opponent Orland Park, IL –Taking a page from the playbooks of Hillary Clinton and Speaker Mike Madigan, Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin continues to refuse to address key voter groups alongside his opponent Keith Pekau. In a letter dated March 6th, Pekau invited McLaughlin to appear with him at a Veteran’s forum March 12th and a senior’s forum March 19th. McLaughlin declined stating “I will not be altering my schedule, on short notice, to participate in your campaign’s forums.” “Given the tremendous response we have received for these forums, I thought it would be a great opportunity for the Mayor to address these groups,” said Pekau.
“Apparently he is too busy to speak to our veterans and seniors and is using ‘short notice’ as his excuse, even though he was invited six days prior to the veterans event and thirteen days prior to the senior’s event,” Pekau added. The forum refusals are part of a systematic pattern by the Mayor of avoiding any debate prior to the election. This is the same tactic that Speaker Madigan is using to run out the clock on Governor Rauner until his hand picked candidate Chris Kennedy can try to reclaim the mansion in Springfield and the same tactic Hillary Clinton employed while sitting on a lead she thought was safe last November.
“I’m not sure what the Mayor is afraid of. I’m out here talking to the people about issues important to Orland Park,” continued Pekau. “If his record is so great, why won’t he face me?” In addition to not facing Pekau in any public forums McLaughlin is even avoiding questions from the public at his own taxpayer-funded events such as the State of the Village event last Thursday. At the few events where he takes questions, the questions are pre-screened. “Instead of the mayor facing me in public, and answering real questions, he’d rather spend our taxpayers hard earned money running self-promoting tele-town halls and city newsletters,” offered Pekau. Copies of both Pekau’s invite and McLaughlin’s response are attached.
