| ILLINOIS SCHOOL SYSTEM AUDITSW Cook County Political NetworkMorrison · Pekau · Glotz · The Rita Dynasty |
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| 4Interconnected networks | 6Rita family pensions | 17thMorrison's Cook County district | 28thBob Rita IL House district |
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866-312-6456 | auditor@illinoisschooldistrictaudit.com | IllinoisSchoolDistrictAudit.com | May 2026
THE NETWORK — HOW THESE PLAYERS CONNECT
| The SW Cook County Republican-Democratic Power OverlapThis report maps four interconnected political networks operating simultaneously in southwest Cook County. What makes this geography unique is that both the Republican machine (Morrison/Pekau) and the Democratic machine (Rita/Glotz/Hastings) operate in the same geographic footprint — and often fight each other for the same contracts, the same boards, and the same patronage. The school districts caught in the middle — D230, Lincoln-Way, Tinley Park SD 146, Frankfort SD 157 — become chess pieces in a larger political game. |
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| Player | Party/Machine | Geographic Base | School District Overlap |
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| Sean Morrison | Republican — Cook County GOP Chair | Palos Park/Palos Township | 17th District includes D230 geography |
| Keith Pekau | Republican — People Over Politics | Orland Park | D230 and D135 feeder district |
| Michael Glotz | Democrat — Operating Engineers Local 150 | Tinley Park | D230 feeder; Tinley Park SD 146 |
| Bob Rita | Democrat — Calumet Township Boss | Blue Island/Calumet Township | 28th District; Calumet Township schools |
| John Rita Jr. | Democrat — Blue Island/Calumet Patronage | Blue Island | 3 pension collector; city administrator |
| Nancy Rita | Democrat — Blue Island Alderman | Blue Island | Works for Cook County Chief Judge Evans |
| Kyle Hastings Sr. | Democrat — People's Choice Party | Orland Hills | D230 geography; Pace Board |
| Michael Hastings | Democrat — 19th Senate District | Tinley Park/Frankfort | D230 VP; now Sen. Judiciary Chair |
| The Lawsuit Web — Everyone Is Suing EveryoneThe clearest evidence of overlapping political interests is the litigation: Bob Rita sued Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz and Orland Township Supervisor Paul O'Grady. Michael Hastings sued Glotz individually. Tim Ozinga's Big Tent Coalition PAC is being sued by Hastings. The same players appear as defendants and plaintiffs across multiple simultaneous lawsuits — because they control the same geography and are fighting over the same political turf. |
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SEAN MORRISON — THE COOK COUNTY REPUBLICAN MACHINE
Biography
| Item | Detail |
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| Born | 1967 or 1968 |
| Education | Moraine Valley Community College — business and accounting |
| Business | Founder & CEO, Morrison Security Corporation (founded 1993) — Illinois Licensed Private Security Contractor |
| Cook County | Commissioner, 17th District — APPOINTED July 22, 2015 to fill Liz Gorman vacancy; elected 2018; re-elected 2022 |
| District covers | Tinley Park, Orland Park, Palos Park, Des Plaines, O'Hare area — sweeping west Cook County from south to north |
| Cook County GOP | Chair, Cook County Republican Party, 2016-2025 — resigned April 14, 2025 |
| Township | Palos Township Republican Committeeman — continuing post-chair resignation |
| IL Republican Central Committee | Member — continuing |
| METRA | Chair, METRA Commissioner Appointments Zone 3 |
| RTA | Vice-Chair, RTA Commissioner Suburban Appointments |
| Forest Preserve | Board member, Forest Preserve District of Cook County |
| ⚠ MORRISON SECURITY — GOVERNMENT CONTRACTSMorrison Security Corporation is a licensed private security contractor. Morrison is simultaneously the CEO and sole owner AND the Cook County Commissioner AND the Palos Township Republican Committeeman. Government security contracts flow through agencies Morrison has oversight authority over. FOIA: All Morrison Security Corporation contracts with Cook County, Forest Preserve District, METRA, RTA, and any municipality in the 17th District. |
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| ⚠ THE ANTHONY MARTIN SCANDALIn August 2013, Anthony Martin — a top executive of Morrison Security managing 450 employees — was arrested by Orland Park police for solicitation to meet a child via text messages. Morrison allowed Martin to remain employed after the arrest. In 2014, Morrison wrote a letter to Cook County Circuit Court Judge John J. Hynes arguing Martin should be allowed to travel out of state despite being a defendant in a pending criminal case. Martin was subsequently arrested in Colorado in a sting operation for attempting to solicit sex from an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. Only after this second arrest did Morrison fire Martin. The Chicago Sun-Times published this story in June 2018. |
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| ⚠ THE PEKAU ALLIANCE — AND ITS COLLAPSEMorrison and Pekau were close political allies — Morrison endorsed Pekau's 2022 congressional campaign and recorded robocalls for Pekau's 2025 mayoral race. When Pekau lost by 15 points in April 2025, it was the final blow to Morrison's Cook County GOP chairmanship. Morrison resigned the chair two weeks after Pekau's defeat. The Illinois Republican Party had even paid for mailers supporting Pekau's slate. Their joint political operation — backing the same school board candidates, fire protection district candidates, and municipal candidates across SW Cook — collapsed simultaneously with Pekau's defeat. |
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Morrison's School District Connections
The 17th District covers D230's geographic area. Morrison has official positions on boards that award contracts in the same communities where school construction occurs. Key questions:
Has Morrison Security Corporation ever provided security services to any school district in the 17th District?
Did Morrison's METRA and RTA positions benefit any transportation contractors who also serve school districts?
Morrison chaired the Workers Compensation Committee — the same committee with oversight of WCSIT (the school district WC pool)?
Morrison was close allies with Pekau during the period when D230's Zeder attacked Mohammed Jaber over TIF concerns. What is Morrison's relationship to Orland Park TIF proposals?
KEITH PEKAU — THE ORLAND PARK OPERATOR
Biography
| Item | Detail |
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| Born/raised | Orland Park, Illinois |
| Education | B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University; MBA (unspecified) |
| Military | U.S. Air Force — Instructor Weapons System Officer, F-15E; 1,500 flight hours; 45 combat sorties over Iraq; 3 tours |
| Business | GroundsKeeper Landscape Care (founded 2003); co-founded Fahrenheit Consulting 2009 (business growth strategies) |
| Mayor of Orland Park | 2017-2025 — defeated 28-year incumbent; served 2 terms; lost to Jim Dodge April 1, 2025 by 15 points |
| Congress | Lost Republican primary to Sean Casten, IL-6, November 2022 |
| Endorsers | Sean Morrison, Tim Ozinga, Jeanne Ives, Margo McDermed, Tim McCarthy (former OP Police Chief/Secret Service) |
| TIF controversy | Proposed 3 TIFs diverting tax revenue from D230 and other taxing bodies; D230 Board President Zeder silent; trustee Mohammed Jaber objected publicly; Zeder attacked Jaber at Sept 19 2024 board meeting |
| Post-mayor | Ordered by Cook County judge to take down internal village documents he posted on blog; refused initially; court issued TRO Aug 2025 |
| Political party | People Over Politics (his own branded party) |
| ⚠ VILLAGE RESOURCES FOR CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNIllinois Review reported August 1, 2023 that Pekau and village trustees were using taxpayer-funded village resources to run his failed congressional campaign against Rep. Sean Casten. A village trustee filed a complaint against Illinois Review's general counsel in response. Pekau's use of village staff and resources for political campaigns is a documented pattern. |
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| ⚠ PEKAU + D230: THE TIF-ZEDER AXISPekau proposed three TIF districts in Orland Park in August-September 2024. TIFs divert tax revenue from school districts for 23+ years. D230 Board President Lynn Zeder — described in local press as a 'Pekau minion' — remained publicly silent about the financial impact on D230. Instead of defending D230's financial interests against TIF revenue diversion, Zeder attacked her own colleague Mohammed Jaber at the September 19, 2024 board meeting for raising the TIF financial concerns. The political alignment between the Orland Park mayor and the D230 board president operated against the interests of D230 taxpayers. |
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MICHAEL GLOTZ — THE UNION MAYOR OF TINLEY PARK
Biography
| Item | Detail |
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| Residence | Tinley Park since 1994 |
| Union | Member and former Union Steward, Operating Engineers Local 150 (same union as Bob Rita) |
| Mayor of Tinley Park | Elected April 2021 as 24th Mayor; re-ran April 2025 under 'One Tinley Park' party |
| Prior role | Village Trustee; Chair, Public Works and Community Development committees |
| Church | Parkview Christian Church, Tinley Park |
| Notable | Created Tinley Park Labor Advisory Board; CISCO Public Body of the Year 2023 for 'protecting taxpayers through supporting workers' |
| Lawsuits | Named defendant in federal lawsuit by State Rep. Bob Rita (same Local 150 member) alleging First Amendment violations; judge ordered Tinley Park to pay Rita's legal fees; Rita dismissed the case |
| Hastings connection | Named defendant individually (not in official capacity) in lawsuit filed by Sen. Michael Hastings; Big Tent Coalition PAC (Tim Ozinga-founded) also named |
| ⚠ GLOTZ + RITA: SAME UNION, DIFFERENT SIDESBoth Michael Glotz and Bob Rita are members of Operating Engineers Local 150 — the same union. Yet Rita sued Glotz for blocking him from attending Tinley Park community events, alleging First Amendment violations. A federal judge ordered Tinley Park to pay Rita's legal fees for improper delays. Two men from the same union, fighting each other in federal court over political turf in the same southwest suburban geography. Local 150 has enormous influence in public construction contracts — school district construction projects use Local 150 members. FOIA: All Tinley Park construction contracts awarded under Mayor Glotz; any Local 150 contractor receiving non-bid awards. |
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| ⚠ THE OZINGA CONNECTIONTim Ozinga founded the Big Tent Coalition PAC — named as defendant in Michael Hastings' lawsuit alongside Michael Glotz. Timothy Pawula (also named in Hastings' suit) worked for the Big Tent Coalition. Ozinga resigned from the state legislature April 2024. The same political action committee connecting Ozinga to Glotz to Hastings operates in the exact territory where Ozinga Bros. concrete plants supply school construction projects. |
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THE RITA DYNASTY — BLUE ISLAND / CALUMET TOWNSHIP
| Blue Island's Version of the Daleys — The BGA's DescriptionThe Rita family has controlled Blue Island and Calumet Township politics for multiple generations. The Better Government Association documented SIX pensions flowing to two brothers alone — before the next generation's pension accrual. Father John Rita Sr. was mayor. Mother Rose Rita was alderman AND Calumet Township supervisor. Son Bob is state representative AND Calumet Township supervisor AND Democratic committeeman. Son John Jr. is a triple-pension collector. Daughter Nancy is alderman AND works for Cook County Chief Judge. This is the fullest expression of the township machine pattern operating across Illinois. |
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The Family — Every Member
| Family Member | Position(s) | Key Facts |
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| John Rita Sr. (deceased) | Mayor of Blue Island | Patriarch; established the machine; deceased |
| Rose Rita (deceased) | Blue Island Alderman; Calumet Township Supervisor | Both offices simultaneously; matriarch of machine; deceased |
| Robert 'Bob' Rita (son) | IL State Rep 28th District (since 2003); Calumet Township Supervisor; Calumet Township Democratic Committeeman | Operating Engineers Local 150; Deputy Majority Leader; sued Michael Glotz in federal court; uses campaign funds for litigation |
| John Rita Jr. (brother) | Blue Island City Administrator (appointed by Mayor Vargas); former Cook County Sheriff employee; former state youth center administrator | Collects $90,588/year county pension from 32 years at Cook County Sheriff; eligible for second SERS pension; donated $1,000 to Vargas campaign before being appointed by Vargas |
| Nancy Rita (sister) | Blue Island Alderman; Administrative Assistant to Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans | Holds elected office AND appointed position with Cook County Chief Judge simultaneously |
| ⚠ THE SIX PENSIONS — BGA DOCUMENTEDBetter Government Association analysis: Bob Rita projects to collect 3 pensions: (1) lawmaker's pension ~$63,000/year; (2) IMRF township pension ~$28,000/year; (3) county pension ~$27,000/year — total ~$118,000/year in pensions. John Rita Jr. already collects $90,588/year Cook County Sheriff pension plus is eligible for second SERS pension. Combined family pension exposure from two brothers alone: over $200,000/year. Illinois taxpayers fund this in perpetuity. |
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| ⚠ NANCY RITA: ALDERMAN + CHIEF JUDGE'S OFFICENancy Rita simultaneously holds: (1) elected position as Blue Island Alderman; (2) appointed administrative position in the office of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans. The Chief Judge's office controls court assignments, case scheduling, and judicial administration for all of Cook County. An elected official who is simultaneously an employee of the Chief Judge's office creates a direct structural conflict — especially in any legal matter involving Blue Island or Calumet Township that reaches the Cook County court system. |
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| ⚠ JOHN RITA JR.: DONATED TO MAYOR WHO THEN HIRED HIMJohn Rita Jr. donated $1,000 to a campaign fund connected to Blue Island Mayor Domingo Vargas's campaign. Mayor Vargas then appointed John Rita Jr. to the $90,000/year Blue Island city administrator position. This is pay-to-play at the most direct level. Rita's statement: 'I know what it looks like but that wasn't my intention.' The appearance of quid pro quo is documented in public records. |
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Bob Rita's Multi-Role Conflict
| Role | Conflict Created |
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| IL State Representative, 28th District | Votes on ISBE funding, school district bonding authority, and prevailing wage — all affecting school construction and Local 150 contractors |
| Calumet Township Supervisor | Controls township services, patronage positions, and budget for Calumet Township; same geography as his House district |
| Calumet Township Democratic Committeeman | Controls who appears on Democratic slates for local offices including school board; controls precinct captain patronage |
| Operating Engineers Local 150 member | Same union as Tinley Park Mayor Glotz; union donates to Rita's campaigns; Rita votes on prevailing wage legislation affecting union contracts |
| The School District ConnectionCalumet Township includes portions of several south suburban school districts. As both state representative AND township supervisor AND Democratic committeeman, Bob Rita controls: (1) the legislative environment for school district bonding and funding; (2) the township Democratic endorsements for school board races; (3) patronage employment for township workers who are precinct captains who turn out votes for school board elections. The entire ecosystem feeds itself. |
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THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ALL FOUR
| Connection | Evidence |
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| Morrison ↔ Pekau | Formal endorsement for Congress 2022; robocall for Pekau 2025 mayoral race; joint slating of candidates for fire district and school board races; both collapsed in April 2025 |
| Pekau ↔ Zeder (D230) | Zeder described as 'Pekau minion'; Zeder silent on TIF financial impact to D230; Zeder attacked board member Jaber who raised TIF concerns; Patrick O'Sullivan (former D230 VP) served as Pekau's Village Clerk |
| Glotz ↔ Rita (lawsuit) | Bob Rita sued Michael Glotz in federal court; judge ordered Tinley Park to pay Rita's legal fees; both are Local 150 members — intra-union political war |
| Hastings ↔ Glotz (lawsuit) | Sen. Michael Hastings sued Glotz individually and Big Tent Coalition PAC (Ozinga-founded) in defamation/conspiracy case |
| Morrison ↔ Rita territory overlap | 17th District (Morrison/Republican) and 28th District (Rita/Democrat) overlap in south suburban Cook County; same school districts; competing for same contracts and political influence |
| Ozinga ↔ Pekau | Tim Ozinga endorsed Pekau for Congress 2022; Ozinga's Big Tent Coalition PAC sued by Hastings alongside Glotz |
| Ozinga ↔ Morrison | Both southwest suburban Republicans; Morrison endorsed Pekau alongside Ozinga; Ozinga resigned legislature April 2024 — same period as political realignment |
| Hastings (Michael) ↔ D230 | Former D230 board VP; launched state senate career from D230 platform; now Senate Judiciary Chair with authority over ISBE — the agency that would investigate D230 anomalies |