West Cook News

Michael Milani said things are as they should be given a Cook County Circuit Court judge’s reinstatement of his People Over Politics three-member slate to the April 2 Orland Park municipal election for trustees on the village's board.

“We not surprised at all,” Milani told the West Cook News. “We feel the judge followed the letter of the law and that all case law supported our position. From here, we plan to continue moving forward, reaching out to voters and generating the kind of support we will need to achieve our ultimate goal.”

The slate of Milani, William Healy and Cynthia Nelson Katsenes was struck from the ballot by the local electoral board back in early January after the panel ruled that the three failed to clearly distinguish what positions they were seeking and that negligence could have caused the more than 1,200 voters who signed off on their nomination petitions to be confused.

In rendering his verdict, Judge Paul Karkula ruled he found no such complexities, prompting People Over Politics officials to salute the ruling as “a strong victory for democracy” in a Feb. 7 press release.

Milani, Healy and Katsenes will now face the Orland Integrity Party ticket that includes incumbent trustees Carole Griffin Ruzich, Devin Hodge and Kelly O'Brien.

“We’re very confident,” Milani added. “We feel like with our message of fiscal responsibility and property tax reform we’ve got the support of the people, based on our pledge to give them what they deserve.”

Milani said he has become more involved in Orland Park politics in the last few years after getting what he calls more of a firsthand look at some of its dysfunction.

“I saw how hard it is to get things done and have services provided,” he said. “I feel there’s a lot of streamlining that needs to be done in updating things where everything can operate more efficiently.”