Friday, April 13, 2007
News / Clout City Muddying the waters
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Fri, Apr 13, 2007 at 12:49 PM
The thrust of challenger Scott Waguespack's recently filed $5 million defamation lawsuit against 32nd Ward alderman Ted Matlak has to do with accusations made against him in campaign flyers put out by the incumbent.
But the suit also charges Berwyn alderman Michael Phelan and defeated 32nd Ward challenger Catherine Zaryczny.
Billing herself as a reformer with deep ties to Ukrainian Village, Zaryczny initially ran hard at Matlak, criticizing him for, among other things, using campaign workers in the 2003 election sent to the ward by Donald Tomczak, who was convicted oftaking bribes in the hired truck scandal.
She was so persuasive that she won the endorsement of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Workers organization.
The weekend before the February 27 election, Zaryczny turned her attack on Waguespack, sending out a glossy flyer calling him "a patronage hack who is not who he says he is," language similar to that in the Matlak brochures that sparked the suit.
In his lawsuit Waguespack makes the curious allegation that Zaryczny "employed" Paul Foxgrover to "gather, fund and disseminate defamatory information" about him.
And who is Paul Foxgrover? He's a former Cook County Circuit Court judge who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $25,000 in court fines and victim restitution funds in the early 90s."Paul Foxgrover did not sell justice, he only stole it," a prosecutor said at Foxgrover's sentencing, according to a 1992 Sun-Times account of his sentencing. Moreover, he "continued to steal money until a week before his arrest although he knew of the investigation." The judge was disbarred and sentenced to six years in prison.
Foxgrover is also the father of Laura Foxgrover, a name you may remember from one of the more sensational political stories of recent years. The Park District official in charge of concessions, Laura Foxgrover had a baby with Matthew O'Malley, the restaurateur who got a Park District contract to run the Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park. As Tim Novak of the Sun-Times reported in 2005, "The Chicago Park District awarded a 20-year lease to run the swanky restaurant at Millennium Park to a businessman who got a top Park District official pregnant during negotiations." Laura Foxgrover gave birth to O'Malley's child on September 24, 2002, the paper reported. The O'Malley Park Grill deal was signed February 11, 2003.
Waguespack alleges that Paul Foxgrover's connection to Zaryczny indicates that she was acting as Matlak's stalking horse, siphoning off votes from Waugespack. It was, Waugespack continues, no coincidence that a few days after the February 27 election, Zaryczny endorsed Matlak.
Hmm. It's pretty well-known in political circles that Paul Foxgrover has ties to local Democratic Party big shots, particularly in the 19th Ward. And restaurateur O'Malley has ties to former congressman Dan Rostenkowski, Matlak's political mentor. But what's the evidence that links Zaryczny to Paul Foxgrover? Waguespack's lawsuit doesn't say, nor has his campaign produced anything to support this claim. Is the Foxgrover allegation simply an attempt to smear Zaryczny?
Matlak's spokeswoman, Rebekah Brooks, says she knows nothing about Foxgrover. In fact, she says she never even heard of him until I called asking her for a comment.
Zaryczny did not return calls for comment.
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There is a cover story this week in a small newspaper called "Inside" stating that Zaryczny used to work for Ed Vrdolyak, and that Mr. Foxgrover's address is the same as Vrdolyak's office. Also, Vrdolyak was Foxgrover's sponsor when he became a judge. The article further states that Foxgrover paid directly for the printing of Zaryczny's flyer that attacked Waguespack.
Why would Waguespack be bothering with smearing Zaryczny a few days before the election? She's not in the race, and after the 17th it's a moot point.
1st, nobody's 'smearing' Zaryczny, just exposing her for who she is. As to 'why'? Because Zaryczny has asked those who voted for her to now vote for Matlak, Because the obvious scheme to split the votes of those who were dissatisfied with Matlak, by Zaryczny being a 'shill' candidate in the March election, failed to give Matlak a clear win, Because everyone who voted for Zaryczny, who were fooled into believing she was independent of the machine, and who she's trying to bullshit into voting for Matlak now, deserve to know what she really has been and is, a con-artist for the machine. Because the acts committed by Zaryczny, along with others, may very well constitute libel.
that was exactly my point, I was referring to Ben's "Is the Foxgrover allegation simply an attempt to smear Zaryczny?" quote. And if anyone needed yet another reason (besides the poor job performance) to send Matlak-a-packin', a connection to Fast Eddie ought to do it.
Thanks for the opportunity to clarify, the dynamics of discourse should result in clarity.
Waguespeck is running scared. He's trying to deflect the charges - even his cronies don't directly deny that they are true.
Gee, if anyone's scared, it's all the clout monkeys staring unemployment in the eye.
I thought everyone already knew Zaryczny was a joke of a candidate.
Yup haha, you got me dead to right-I don't directly deny that Scott murdered, raped and maimed his own mother. You have us down pat. I will no longer permit a guy who rapes his own mother to represent my concerns with our ward. I'm affraid Scott will rape my mother, and so it's time for Matlak to save the day. He'll never rape my mother, but he might rape my neighborhood with crap development. God save the mother raper Scott and deliver him from evil. Bless Matlak for he is holier than the blessed water, blessed in the name of our lord.
They're coming to take us awaaaaay! haha, hoho, heeheeeeee! to da funny farm, where we can plaaaaay!!!!!!!!
Matlak has offered little in 9 yrs. In the last month Matlak has attempted to lie his way back into office. What a waste of taxpayer money.
Not just lie - he has tried to slander a very decent young man - Is the kind of new and more civil politics that Obama and Democratic establishment are speaking of? Matlak deserve this suit - GO SCOTT!!!!
No Wonder Scott couldn't pass the bar exam? He doesn't have a case and doesn't even know it...Speaks Volumes. Nothing but wild accusations from Team Scott. Send him back to Berwyn where he belongs.
Boy, John, you sure are having a streak of frankness here, shilling for every Daley hack incumbent at risk. That's being a team player! hen Richie gets back, you'll be able to lick his ass in the flesh.
I don't want to interupt the love fest the two of you are having. But why isn't anyone talking the issues here. Matlak, in his years of office has proven himself to be: 1) Pro-development 2) A mayoral allie 3) Innept 4) Corrupt 5) Responsible to those paying $$$ Friends, get your friends out and explain to them just how poor an Alderman we have in Matlak. And save your breath Matlak hacks, I'm not interested in your stail poorly articulated drivel. I bid you farewell former Alderman Matlak. I think you'll be flipping dogs soon. A job perhaps more closely alligned to your skill. Scott isn't much better, agreed, but you Mr. Matlak are just hideous!
But, the Matlak hack's "stale poorly articulated drivel" is hilarious! Don't take the fun out of the hack spammers' revealing posts, they only HELP Scott!
Well, we'll all know, 24 hours from now, who'll be kissing Daley's ass for the next 4 years, with or without much resistance. Annnnnnnnd....... THERE OFF!!!
Rich Miller explains the Foxgrover tie -- he dumped a bunch of money Zaryczyny's way before the primary. http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2007/04/16/circling-the-square-in-the-32nd-ward/
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