Peraica responds to Sun-Times' smear story

This morning, the Chicago Sun-Times played the role of attack dog for Cook County State's Attorney Democratic candidate Anita Alvarez by running a story that reads like a page from Alvarez' campaign oppositon research files.  The "story" lists four Peracia donors who have felony records.

If the Sun-Times wants to run press releases as stories, they should have the courtesy of at least giving credit to the Alvarez' campaign press secretary, rather than claim credit for writing an investigative story. 

What should the policy for candidates be?  Run a criminal history on every donor who gives to their campaign?

Nevertheless, the Peraica campaign has issued a press response to the Sun-Times story.  In case it's not clear, this is a press release, not a "story" . . .

Peraica Turns Table on Alvarez Attack

CHICAGO, IL –Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Tony Peraica today responded to charges that he had received questionable contributions for past campaigns by pledging to return the money and demanding Alvarez return questionable contributions of her own. 

“This kind of attack is expected from Mrs. Alvarez because of her own questionable campaign contributions,” said Peraica.  “It is true that my past campaigns did receive contributions from four citizens who ran afoul of the law.  Because I believe the Cook County State’s Attorney should avoid even the appearance of impropriety, I will voluntarily return the $2,700 in contributions from years ago from those four people in question.   

Now I am calling on Anita Alvarez to return the more than 80 contributions she has received from employees of the State’s Attorney’s office and their relatives.  These people are currently her underlings and will be beholden to her for promotions and pay raises if she is elected. 

I further call on Mrs. Alvarez to return the more than $70,000 in contributions for the State’s Attorneys race she has received from Robert Clifford, her finance committee chairman, who makes his living suing the county which Mrs. Alvarez is supposed to defend.  In fact, this past April Mr. Clifford’s law firm settled a lawsuit with the county for $100,000,000.   How is the public supposed to believe Anita Alvarez will aggressively defend their interests when she is receiving massive campaign contributions from an attorney who is hired to sue the county and whom the State’s Attorney’s office will be opposing in court,” asked Peraica. 

“These contributions present a clear and present conflict of interest and show clearly that she will be a defender of business as usual in county government,” concluded Peraica.

Tony Peraica represents the 16th Commissioner District for the Cook County Board of Commissioners.  A true American success story, Peraica came to America at the age of 13, after losing both of his parents, unable to speak a word of English.  Despite his circumstances, Tony persevered and lived the great American success story.  Now a successful attorney, business owner and Cook County Commissioner – Tony is committed to reforming Cook County government to put an end to the rampant waste, fraud and corruption that enriches political insiders at the expense of Cook County residents and taxpayers.

Comments

[Jerry]

Peraica is an embarassment to good Republicans everywhere. He is part of the reason that the party is having the problems gaining traction in this State. Is there any way that he can be convinced to go back to the Democratic Party from whence he came?

[Jeremy]

Ms. Alvarez should know better than to bring a bb gun to a duel. Is this really her angle?

[RedPickUpTruck]

Commissioner Peraica is a selfish, self-absored politician. He cares none about running for SA or actually serving as SA. I'm a conservative GOP who supported Commissioner Peraica for County Board but he has lost it. He likes the attention of taking on the machine but cares none for fixing it. He needs to go away.

[Bayne]

I am shocked by the accusatory tones of some of the criticism directed against Peraica.

Visceral condemnation of Peraica based on the criminal records of a handful of contributors, presumably, over the years is unwarranted but suggestive of deeper "concerns."

The proper response is not censure of Mr. Peraica but some inquiry into what he is doing right that he should so become the object of a Sun-Times smear job.

If Republicans have a viable candidate, which is what Peraica is, self professed Republicans ought to support him or withhold their attacks until the next election cycle.

If we expect Dems in Congress to support a Presidential nominee for the Supreme Court and if we excoriate the likes of Schumer, as well we should, for obstructionism, then what else BUT obstructionism is it when a Republican stands in the way of one their own candidates?!

Mr. Peraica is conducting a first rate campaign. I've spoken with the man and on a number of crucial issues. He is VERY conservative in my judgment on many of them. The very last thing we need is for Peraica to jump to the Dumbocrats. The last thing we need is for retrograde elements to take up the cudgels in applying Bob Barr type tactics when there is so much at stake.

We know Obama can only divide the country, but a house divided cannot stand, as one prominent Republican once said. This Party appears in many ways to be a model of faction, perfectly exemplified by the failure to support this excellent candidate against calumny and organized attacks by "the powers that be."

[RedPickUpTruck]

I'm not questioning his conservatism, I'm questioning his intentions. He is not interested at all in being SA. He just wants a bigger podium to criticism the dems and SA is not the office for that.

I want a prosecutor in that office, not a politician.

[Anon]

Wow RedPickUpTruck, if I didn't know any better I would say that you work for Milan.

[Bayne]

RedPickUpTruck doesn't want elected officials to be politicians. This is going to be a difficult demand to satisfy.

[Dean D]

In 06 Peraica was the ONLY Republican to win (and substantially so) in the entire Township of Schaumburg. I assume his results were similar in other non-Chicago T/S. The only Republican who got within the statistical mean of a Dem in in Cook County in decades. I can take that kind of "embarrassment" any day of the week. No one has done more to establish the reform/anti-corruption brand for Republicans than Tony. Any local candidate not glomming on to that, does so at their own peril!

[Fred Potter]

Let's see now, Peraica gets money from people he don't even know, who get in trouble with the law 3 years later, and he [Peraica] still say's ... fine ... I'll give it back.
On the other hand ...
The 22 year insider, hired 22 years ago by Richard Daley, Anita Alvarez, gives up $100 Million in Cook County Tax Payer money to a Chicago trial lawyer last April, then hires this same trial lawyer as her CAMPAIGN FINANCIAL OFFICER guiding all of her contributions while, this same lawyer pays for her campaign office space, research, legal work, E-Mail, Website, Food and Decorations etc. Why on earth does this lawyer want her in that top spot so bad?
This same lawyer has multiple $Million law-suits waiting to be litigated (After) this coming election. You figure it out.
There's an old saying...
"We get the government we deserve."
maybe it should say ...
"We get the government we tolerate."

[Fred Potter]

About a year ago, a police officer who had been drinking, killed two young innocent Hispanics, and the office of Anita Alvarez used "Prosecutorial-Discretion" and did not prosecute. The whole thing was squelched. Along comes the trouble-maker Peraica, again, sticking his nose in and demending JUSTICE for the two victims who the Alvarez office ignored, Tony Peraica contacts the FEDS,.. and Ooooops, the case is being "re-opened." Wake up Cook County.

To repeat, ...
we get the government we tolerate.