Things are starting to get ugly in the race for president of Cicero — a town where political hardball is commonplace.
Incumbent Larry Dominick, who will be seeking a third term as town president in February, has moved quickly to denounce one of his four challengers, former McPier executive Juan Ochoa.
Ochoa, who has the backing of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., is hoping to win a majority of Cicero's Hispanic vote. The west suburb is about 80 percent Hispanic.
But Dominick's campaign is trying to link Ochoa and his campaign workers to a Chicago street gang. Dominick officials say gang members are knocking on doors throughout town to promote Ochoa's run for office.
Ochoa said no current gang members work for his campaign.
"Many of these individuals are volunteers for CeaseFire (now Cure Violence) and are former gang members who are now out helping people," Ochoa said of the staffers. "Dominick also uses CeaseFire volunteers to assist him with his campaign. Many of them, of course, are reformed gang members."
Dominick would not comment for this story, but Cicero town spokesman Ray Hanania said, "Dominick is probably using CeaseFire members and volunteers to help him get re-elected." But he added that some of the individuals on the Ochoa campaign have been included by the Chicago Crime Commission in its current book of known gang members.
"That's the difference," Hanania said. "Our guys aren't in that book."
Ochoa said he doesn't understand what relevance that has.
Meanwhile, Ochoa is accusing Dominick of putting two other Hispanic candidates on the ballot to draw votes from him, accusations the candidates and Hanania deny.
Ochoa also is claiming that Dominick is using the town police for his benefit.
On Election Day earlier this month, Cicero police officials charged a 55-year-old campaign worker for Ochoa with disorderly conduct for allegedly "sexually" threatening a female poll worker at a polling place, authorities said. The town immediately issued a news release after the incident, linking the campaign worker to a Chicago street gang.
The woman, who pressed charges against the man, happens to be a secretary for Dominick, according to Hanania.
"He never said anything to her," Ochoa said. "All of a sudden 10 police officers come to arrest him. (The man) is a grandpa, for goodness' sake."
Hanania, who also is a spokesman for the Police Department, said details about the number of officers involved weren't available, but he added that typically three or four officers respond when an arrest is made.
Ochoa said it also angers him that police came to the scene and made the arrest but made no arrests during a scuffle among campaign workers representing the two political parties at the Cicero/Berwyn Houby Festival in October.
"We called 911, the police did come, but they didn't arrest anyone," Ochoa said.
According to Ochoa, the incident occurred after a truck denouncing him and Gutierrez attempted to block Ochoa and his campaign workers while they were walking in the parade. The billboard on the flat truck read "Tell Luis Gutierrez and Juan Ochoa to take their Street Gang Friends back to Chicago."
Hanania said Dominick's campaign sponsored the truck, but the spokesman added that he was told by town officials that the incident did not warrant any arrests.
Ochoa said the while the incidents can be distracting, he is trying to stay focused on his campaign and his message.
Cicero election heats up as foes trade gang accusations
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Cicero election heats up as foes trade gang accusations
