Orland Residents For Responsible Government: William Keefer

ORLAND TOWNSHIP, IL — Meet William Keefer, running for Orland Township Trustee with the Orland Residents For Responsible Government slate, in the April 2021 Consolidated Election. The election is April 6.

Keefer recently filled out the Patch candidate survey, and his answers can be seen below.

If you are a candidate for the April election, and would like to answer our Patch candidate questionnaire, please email yasmeen.sheikah@patch.com.

William Keefer

Age (as of Election Day)

25

Town/City of Residence

Orland Park, IL

Office Sought

Township board

Party Affiliation (if a partisan race)

Orland Residents for Responsible Government

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Political Science B.A., University of Rochester (2017)
J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law (2020)

Occupation

Lawyer

Campaign website

ResponsibleOrland.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

No

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Voters in Orland Township must fire Paul O’Grady, he is the worst kind of Chicago-style politician. Recommended by Mike Madigan, he represents villages within and surrounding Orland Township for his own personal profit. He hires his friends and political allies for lucrative township positions. He uses machine tactics to smear his political opponents. And he hypocritically sets strict rules for the rest of us while privately breaking those rules whenever he wants.
Meanwhile, during the pandemic, O’Grady and his staff weren’t even open and available to assist our communities most vulnerable citizens. During this time when township services are needed most, O’Grady shut the doors to the township, but of course he and his politician friends were still cashing their taxpayer-funded paychecks and pensions.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

The statement “Black Lives Matter” is an incontrovertible truth. Peaceful protests for justice, protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, are to be commended. We should strive for a future in which our fellow Americans are all treated equally, without exception.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

To my knowledge, the current board has done nothing to support racial equality. What we will do as new leadership is simple: we will make sure that access to all of the township’s services are equal regardless of race, class, sex, or income. We are here to serve all people.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

National coronavirus response has been a mixed bag. Operation Warp Speed’s development of multiple COVID vaccines in under a year was an incredible accomplishment and a testament to what Americans can do. However, inconsistent advice from our public health “experts” and an awfully coincidental timeline for reopening after January 20th shows that not all of this pandemic was about the science, but rather about politics and power-grabbing.
Locally, O’Grady and the current board botched the response completely. Where other municipalities found ways to stay open and provide essential services for their residents, O’Grady took the easy way out and shut the Township’s doors. We will work to safely reopen our services and make Orland Township the model for others in the same way that our low crime rates are.
Limiting the operation of “non-essential” businesses is simply the government’s way of picking winners and losers (why is it safe enough to shop at a grocery store but not at a hobby shop?), and I firmly oppose requirements that “non-essential” businesses be closed.
Restrictions on dining are equally foolish. Restaurants have been scapegoated as COVID hotspots, but have conveniently been allowed to reopen following January 20th. And outdoor dining is not much of a solution – especially when people are made to sit in tents with only small ventilation outlets. I believe that we are capable enough to make these risk assessments for ourselves, and that individuals who feel that they can safely dine in at a local restaurant should be allowed to do so.
As far as a local mask mandate is concerned, it is redundant considering other legislation already in place. The township should be focused more on safely restarting its services than on virtue signaling.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

I’d work with our county health department and cooperate however possible to ensure that the vaccine rollout picks up pace. We all want this pandemic to end and know that working together we can make an impact.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’m not a career politician, rather I am a first-time candidate who will bring a fresh voice and ideas to our township. Paul O’Grady’s cronies have had a long run, but their time is up- it’s time we have a new perspective.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The slate led by Paul O’Grady are the worst kinds of Chicago politician. They hire friends and political allies for lucrative township positions and use machine tactics to smear political opponents. They hypocritically set strict rules for the rest of us while privately breaking those rules whenever they want.
So, it should come as no surprise that the township elected officials go to great lengths to hide their finances and conduct public business away from the public’s oversight. While our taxes have increased by nearly 5% each of the last 4 years, we have no idea how our tax dollars are being spent. This lack of transparency led to nearly $60,000 of taxpayer money being embezzled by one of the townships employees from 2016-2018. In addition, the township spent their entire budget over the past year despite being almost entirely shut down during the pandemic. How is this possible?
The final straw came during the pandemic. In the midst of one of the most difficult periods of our lives, Orland Township was in a position to help our most vulnerable residents when they needed it most. But rather than working with health experts to find ways to safely restore operations, O’Grady and his incumbents kept the township closed, leaving our seniors, children, disabled, and poor residents without the help they needed. Meanwhile, O’Grady and his politicians still collected their taxpayer-funded paychecks and pensions, of course.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Along with our Orland Resident for Responsible government team, I will stop the political games and focus on serving the community. Our Orland Residents for Responsible Government team is made up of political outsiders who simply want to serve our community. We’re not politicians and have no desire to play political games. We’re not beholden to special interests, and we’re not looking to get rich off taxpayers or make this a career.
I will make the township transparent and accountable to taxpayers. We will publish the township’s finances transparently. We will restore fiscal responsibility by eliminating waste and making township government more efficient. We will refuse the lavish pensions the incumbents have been providing themselves with our tax dollars and eliminate elected official pensions. And we will work to give working families in Orland Township a break by lowering property taxes.
I will get the township back to serving our most vulnerable residents. Serving our most vulnerable should not be political. While our citizens are suffering physically, socially, and mentally, we must be doing everything we can to support them. We will do the hard work the incumbents have been unwilling to do and find ways to restore services while following proper health and safety protocols.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

Term limits, restoring honesty and integrity in local government, live streaming of board meetings, conducting business transparently, and the end of patronage hiring.

Why should voters trust you?

Voters can trust me because I am just like them, I am not a politician. I’m just a neighbor who wants to best serve our community.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Right now, we have no idea where money is being spent due to massive issues with transparency within our township. We’ll bring fiscal responsibility by eliminating government waste and reducing costs. We will make township government more efficient. We will refuse the lavish pensions that the incumbent politicians have been providing themselves with our tax dollars and immediately move to eliminate pensions for township elected officials. We will collaborate with other levels of government instead of wasting time and taxpayer funds attacking them for political gain. We will stop wasting money on township officials’ blatant self-promotion in newsletters, events, and taxpayer-funded giveaways. And we will work to give working families in Orland Township a break by lowering property taxes.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“Don’t ever do anything that will make you look over your shoulder.”

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a firm believer in small government and individual responsibility. It is not my job to tell someone how to live his or her life, nor is it my job to pick winners and losers. Rather, it is my job to make sure that everyone benefits from the services that the township provides, and that we can safely reopen those services to our residents.
I am not a politician, and I have no interest in making politics a career. Instead of serving my own financial interests, as is the current practice of O’Grady and the current board, I will work to serve the interests of the township and continue making Orland Township the envy of all others.