GOP Congressional candidate Keith Pekau | Pekau campaign
GOP Congressional candidate Keith Pekau | Pekau campaign
GOP Congressional candidate Keith Pekau was featured in a Newsmax broadcast in a recent discussion on inflation and the pending recession.
Pekau, who is the mayor of Orland Park, noted inflation is not being properly tracked. He is running in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District.
"This seems to be the standard playbook: If we don't like the way things are tracking, then we change the rules,” Pekau said on Newsmax. “Look at how we've changed the way inflation is tracked. We don't include gasoline or food prices, which is what hits people in the pocketbook the most. If you included those things, we'd have inflation at 17 or 18% right now. So at the end of the day, everyone on this call, as well as everyone that's watching knows what is happening in America, knows that we're facing a recession and that we've been seeing inflation that – essentially, at the rate it's at – takes one month of your pay."
During his term as mayor, Pekau has doubled investments in the village's infrastructure while managing to reduce total operating costs by 14%, according to his website. Pekau also lowered property tax rates and paid down more than $50 million of the village's debt.
According to Illinois Policy, rising food prices will cost the average Illinois family $522 more per year. The group reports prices have risen 12.2% from June 2021 to June 2022 and the 9.1% inflation rate announced in June was the highest in 40 years. The highest impact from food inflation has been seen in meat, fish and eggs.
Pekau has been highlighting inflation in public comments for months now. He noted in previous periods of economic downturn he had to make decisions between groceries and fuel.
"These are the decisions people are making right now with inflation and gas prices through the roof. It's time for the government to do something about our economy,” he noted in late June, South Cook News reported.
Pekau has also highlighted the effect high tax rates in Illinois have on decreasing individual wealth, according to South Cook News.
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