Allegations of voters being offered free pizza coupons and campaign workers insisting on handling mail-in ballots for Cicero’s residents have sprung up in Cicero as the heated race for town president heads into its final week, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Larry Dominick is seeking a third term as town president. He will face Juan Ochoa, a former McPier executive and senior services director to Joe Pontarelli next Tuesday.
Due to the allegations, the Cook County clerk's office has notified law enforcement officials, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the state’s attorney’s office alerting them of allegations of voter intimidation and voter fraud in Cicero.
"The state's attorney is out there (in Cicero) this week interviewing people about the allegations," Cook County Clerk David Orr said Monday at a news conference. Orr said during the news conference that he has “gotten several complaints from voters.”
Orr also noted that he is troubled by town employees in uniforms who have been accused of campaigning by knocking on doors.
The Chicago Sun-Times obtained quotes from Orr that included, "The impact of that is clearly seen by some voters as voter suppression and intimidation. If a town official comes to your door and you're not necessarily supporting a candidate that clearly can be seen as intimidation."
Orr wrote town attorney Michael Del Galdo saying "You and your clients are entitled to gather information regarding any aspect of an election, but no campaign is entitled to use the resources of the town in the process."
Furthering Cicero’s political scandal, Orr cited that Clerk Maria Punzo-Arias has allegedly told a group of senior citizens to deliver their mail-in ballots to her office instead of mailing them in or dropping them off at Orr's office. Punzo-Arias has been interviewed by the state's attorney's office.
Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania told the press that “town officials are not intimidating voters.”
Cicero is no stranger to political corruption. Over the years, it has faced many scandals and arrests in the political arena.
The trial of Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese and several others on racketeering and fraud charges was the most recent.
From the early days of mobster Al Capone running city elections in the 1920s to Loren-Maltese's run-ins with the 1990s police administrations, allegations of organized crime have continued for decades in Cicero, dating back to the 1920’s.
1920s
Al Capone and Johnny Torrio set up headquarters in Cicero after Chicago officials begin to crack down on liquor and gambling. During the 1924 election, Capone sends out 200 armed men to oversee voting; police kill Capone's brother Frank, in one of several shootouts that day.
1930s
Though Capone is imprisoned in 1932, mob influence continues as Capone's brother Ralph, the "Beer Boss," keeps a strong hand over Cicero's liquor establishments. Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti becomes Capone's successor.
1940s
Gambling and vice flourish with scores of liquor, gambling and strip joints scattered throughout the city. Nitti commits suicide in 1943 after he is indicted for labor racketeering, and Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo steps in as one of organized crime's bosses.
1950s
Corruption has become so rampant that the town considers changing its name to improve its reputation. County and city crackdowns on gambling houses and strip clubs are largely unsuccessful. Accardo moves aside for Sam Giancana; future boss Joey "Doves" Aiuppa continues to climb the ranks.
1960s
"The Walled City of the Syndicate," as Cicero is known, becomes famous for its lax law enforcement. The police chief, Erwin Konovsky, admits that he made only one vice arrest between 1963 and 1964.
1970s
News accounts report that owners of Cicero's 190 liquor-serving establishments are often pressured to make payoffs of liquor and cash to police. Deputy liquor commissioner Robert Mengler pleads guilty in 1975 to taking payoffs for granting liquor licenses; he is the first town official with reported links to organized crime to be charged in 40 years.
1980s
Federal raids lead to gambling conspiracy charges against Frank Maltese, a town assessor who denies allegations of links to the Ernest Rocco Infelice crime family. Aiuppa and four other reputed mobsters go to prison in 1986 for gambling conspiracy charges.
1990s
Betty Loren-Maltese, Frank Maltese's wife, takes control of Cicero politics after she is appointed interim president in 1993. She wins three elections, fires a succession of police chiefs for various reasons and is the target of federal investigations.
2000s
Former police chief David Niebur and his deputy win a $1.7 million federal lawsuit against Cicero and Loren-Maltese, who fired Niebur in 1998. Longtime federal probes bring a 17-count indictment against Loren-Maltese, two former town officials and seven others.
Source: Tribune Archives
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