On January 16, 2010, I posted an article on my blog, “Weekly Wilson” that detailed my firsthand experiences as a one-time candidate for 1st Ward Alderman in East Moline, Illinois in 2005 who knew the vote totals announced in her race the next morning were false. (*Read the first article to see how on Weekly Wilson to see why I was able to figure out that the sudden turn-around of an election night victory for Yours Truly to a neat “she lost by 10 votes” in the morning Quad City Times could not possibly be right.)
At the time, I promised my mother-in-law I would not write about the election. She feared it would come off \as though I were a “sore loser,” which I was not. So, I did not write about it in 2005. I did not write about it until many years later, when a Letter to the Editor from Helen Heiland appeared, decrying the fact that she had been passed over to be Democratic County Chairman upon the retirement (and subsequent death) of John Gianulis.
Helen Heiland’s Letter to the Editor about how she should be the Heir Apparent to the corrupt Democratic County Chairman throne was the straw that broke the camel’s back, for me, in terms of sharing information. This was the same person who knew the truth about her own fraudulent election (went home in tears from her own victory party), even if nobody else did and even if it could not then be proven because of the corruption in the Good Old Boy network. Thanks to an informant who turned state’s evidence, it now can be proven.
Furthermore, Helen Heiland was a contemporary of Mr. Gianulis, which means that, if I was old at 50-something then, she was extremely old. I realize that various Congressmen serve until they have to be carted off in an ambulance, but, really, is that desirable? If you are in good health and can at least walk under your own power and are of sound mind and can stay awake at a Council meeting (or even be present in the first place) and, (hopefully), are intelligent, shouldn’t those qualities count for something in picking a representative of the people?
I did not run for office to become a perennial political candidate, as Mrs. Heiland has become. I ran because my former junior high school students at Silvis (IL) Junior High were present at an organizational meeting for then-Mayor Jose “Joe” Moreno in 2005. They enthusiastically urged me to challenge long-time 1st Ward Alderman Helen Heiland (who nearly always ran unopposed), as did then-Mayor Joe Moreno. I was the only one in the room who lived in the 1st Ward. Not exactly overwhelming qualifications for office, but, with a Master’s plus 30, good health, the time to spend, and a long history of being honest and outspoken (I was the Sylvan Learning Center founder, and I helped achieve recognition for the SEA in Silvis as four-term Co-Chairman of the group) . I had the time, my heart was in the right place, and I wasn’t planning on parking my elderly posterior in the seat until I was cremated.
Helen Heiland had been blocking many of the Mayor’s progressive ideas, supposedly at the urging of then-Democratic County Chairman John Gianulis, who dictated, from above, what would happen in Rock Island County. Later, I was told by a highly-placed Illinois politician when I was present at the DNC in Denver that I was merely “collateral damage” in an attempt to beat Joe Moreno.
The irony was that, unlike Helen Heiland, who allied herself with now-Mayor John Thodos and ran as a teammate, spending thousands of dollars (I heard $25,000), I spent $500, asked for no political contributions (although I got a few) and ran alone. Joe and I were not a political team. He was a friend. He knew the political ropes, but Joe ran on his own, and I ran on my own. He certainly offered advice about such things as poll watchers (too late, as it turned out; it was already the day of the election, and I had none. One election judge voted twice under 2 different names and 3 people entered a booth together in one precinct, I learned.)
Joe had (supposedly) somehow angered former Illinois State Representative Denny Jacobs and was to be “taken down a peg or two,” I was told. I never knew whether to believe that story or not, since Joe’s wife, Lorna, is a Jacobs herself, the daughter of Don Jacobs, Denny’s brother. Why would Joe’s wife’s uncle want him to lose his Mayoral bid, especially when Joe was such a good and popular Mayor who appealed to the large Hispanic population and frequently went to the police station to serve as a free translator, at all hours of the day and night? You couldn’t ask for a nicer or more popular guy or one with better ideas. It made no sense to me then, and it makes no sense to me now, so it must be wrong. (“Yeah, sure, that’s the ticket,” to quote an old Saturday Night Live line).
The only reason I could come up with on my own—[and it is and was pure speculation]— was that Denny Jacobs might be afraid that the popular Democratic Mayor of East Moline would one day eclipse his own son in popularity and prove to be a threat to Mike Jacobs in future elections. But,— I repeat—that is pure speculation from a political rookie, so I’d ignore that, like everything else I have ever reported has been ignored. Like the recount in a tiny room in Rock Island that showed that I finished ahead of Helen Heiland in actual ballot voting was ignored and never merited so much as a single line in either newspaper. Just go ahead and forgetaboutit. (I told my mother she should have named me Cassandra. In mythology, Cassandra always told the truth but was never believed, because of a curse that had been placed upon her.)
Elections in Rock Island County, Illinois were rigged, at least from 1988 on. I know this from my own firsthand experience. [I would venture to say that Al Gore knows this from his own firsthand experience in Florida.]
I didn’t care that I had not won the 1st Ward Alderman’s seat. As Joe Moreno himself would tell you, I agreed to run once (and once only). I was not willing to serve more than one term. I had “promises to keep” to myself and others. My Bucket List included building a place in Chicago, spending more time with my twin grandchildren there, and writing many books, which I have been doing (8 since 2002). I was not going to become a career politician, and, quite frankly, it is too bad that more honest people don’t enter politics with the idea of serving their fellow citizens, without planning to become career politicians (“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”).
And certainly politicians should not be planning to gain office merely to line their own pockets through schemes like the Auto Poll scheme (Leibovitz’ company? American Elections Systems, Inc., incorporated May 9, 2009) or by buying up primo land for development in sweetheart deals or any of a number of other questionable political pursuits.
But the American Elections Systems, Inc. scheme that former Democrat County Clerk Richard “Dick” Leibovitz was implicated in 14 months ago goes beyond self-serving and into criminal waters. That is why I wonder why nothing more has been said or written about those 14-month old charges against Richard “Dick” Leibovitz.
Until I did some more digging, that is.
Despite a girlfriend’s defense of her former classmate Mr. Leibovitz (“Oh, it was just an accounting error!” —Right. And I have swampland for sale in Florida.), it seems fairly apparent from the newspaper stories of January, 2010, that there were many examples of malfeasance in office under Richard “Dick” Leibovitz.
According to the Quad City Times, state records list three officers and directors for American Election Systems, Inc.: Richard Leibovitz; his son Christopher of Lenox, Illinois (listed as director); and James Harmening of Orland Park, Illinois, company secretary. Harmening is also president of a Chicago-based information technology company called Computer Bits, Inc., which has provided “consulting services” to the County Clerk’s office. Computer Bits, Mr. Harmening’s company, was paid $48,969 since 2008 by Rock Island County, including $35,280 in federal grant funds.
Is it a big stretch to imagine that the conspiracy within the Rock island County Office Building could reach further than Mr. Leibovitz? Couldn’t others…perhaps even the District Attorney’s office…be involved? What other offices might be involved? (Make a list). Is it difficult to imagine that someone who might be guilty of the charges we already know about couldn’t see his way clear, (if asked by powerful others in authority), to sneak a few extra ballots into this or that ballot box, come election night, just to keep the status quo the way the Powers-That-Be wanted them to be kept and make sure an election came out “right” ? Isn’t this the American way? Stuff the absentee ballot box, fix the election, get rich on the public dollar, retain power any way you can, so that you can profit financially?
Oh, wait.
No, that isn’t the American way that I believe in. That isn’t why I spent $8,000 trying to show the rest of Rock Island County (and Scott County) what was going on over here across the “Joined-by-a-River” Quad Cities. Nelson, Keys & Keys tried to help me expose the corruption in Rock Island County, Illinois. Unfortunately, when the chips were down and the recount was going on, reporter Jenny Lee (Dispatch representative) who was present in the room, didn’t write a single word. And the Quad City Times guy must have been stuck on the bridge, because we didn’t see him at all. And so it goes…and went. As a line from the new TV drama “The Chicago Code” put it, “There is corruption and then there is just the way things get done, and you gotta’ know the difference.”
I sense corruption, and lots of it, about to be exposed.
And, yes, it seems to have been “the way that things got done” in Rock Island County (at least since 1988).
District Attorney Jeff Terronez
District Attorney Jeff Terronez, a Democrat, prosecuted a United Township High School teacher, Jason Van Houtte, who was having sex with his underage students. One particular underage student, Julie W***, testified against Van Houtte, and he received a prison sentence.
Not long after that, additional charges surfaced that the current District Attorney, Jeff Terronez, (a Democrat) had taken the girl—his star witness— and a friend on trips and allegedly supplied alcohol to the underage pair. One story has the “trip” as a harmless trip to visit colleges in Iowa City and Springfield. Supposedly an adult associated with the attractive blonde cheerleader was present and shot film of Mr. Terronez (who is 40-ish and married) with the girls. One story alleges that the current charges against Mr. Terronez are simply a vendetta on the part of the underage girl, who really “loved” her former teacher and now wishes to get revenge, with the help of the camera footage shot by her Aunt, vengeance against the prosecuting attorney who put her former teacher love away. (If this is beginning to sound too much like a soap opera, I merely would say that you can’t make this stuff up.) All these charges were first aired on WQAD, Channel 8, by Anchor Chris Minor.
I am wondering why a District Attorney of any party would be escorting underaged teen-aged girls who were not his children on college visits. It is difficult to wrap one’s mind around the adjective “innocent,” (as in “innocent trip,”_ vendetta or no vendetta. If the trip was just a college visit, why was Mr. Terronez involved at all? Does the “She just wants to get even with him” story hold together, realistically?
Quad City Times Sues
So, we have had 2 big political corruption stories in Rock Island County, Illinois in the past 14 months that seem(ed) unrelated and also seem to have been swept under the rug:
1) Richard “Dick” Leibovitz’s alleged misdeeds involving the office he held for 22 years have not (yet) been punished. He has not been tried or fined or even mentioned in recent months, and it has been 14 months since the post I am repeating below this one appeared.
2) The guilt or innocence of Rock Island District Attorney Jeff Leibovitz is also up in the air. The Quad City Times has been trying to find out what is happening regarding Mr. Leibovitz for months.
This is a timeline of the “Times” attempts to get to the bottom of the Terronez charges:
October 22, 2010: Jim Bohnsack, Rock Island County Board Chairman reported a telephone conversation wih Mr. Terronez during which District Attorney Terronez admitted that he was the subject of a police investigation. Illinois State Police declined to comment.
October 28, 2010: QC Times filed a Freedom of Information Act with the Illinois State Police, asking for information.
November 10, 2010: QC Times received a request from the Illinois State Police for a 5-day extension.
November 29, 2010: A request for a FOIA review was submitted to the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor, via e-mail. The office was supposed to submit a response within 7 days and 30 days to answer the request.
January 21, 2011: The Illinois State Police mailed a letter to the QC Times, denying the FOIA request of November 3. The request did acknowledge that there was an ongoing investigation involving Terronez. An attorney with the public access counselor’s office said he would contact Illinois State Police and ask for the documents the newspaper requested and for an explanation for why the request was denied.
February 18, 2011: The QC Times received a letter from the Attorney General’s Office with a response from the Illinois State Police. It asked the public access counselor to uphold the original denial of the newspaper’s FOIA request.
March 8, 2011: The QC times filed sit against the Illinois State Police, seeking the release of the information.
(*The timeline above appeared in the Quad City Times newspaper of March 9, 2011, on page A4. This is what is unofficially know as “the run-around.”)
So, what is going on here? We have two cases against two prominent elected Illinois officials, both Democrats. There is an acknowledgement that one case, at least (i.e., Terronez) is “ongoing.”
The other older case (i.e., Leibovitz) is a case where one might say the trail has gone cold. Or has it?
Are the authorities trying to sweep everything under the rug, or is there a concerted attempt to finally “out” the ballot-stuffing and rigged elections that I experienced, firsthand, and many others have suspected were the norm in Rock Island Country over the years. I know that the Quad City Times has had suspicions that something was “rotten in Denmark” for years, because I spoke with one of its editors who wanted me to cut down my Letter to the Editor to a ridiculously few words.
I said that what happened to me (and, I don’t doubt, to Joe Moreno and countless others) could not be explained in “ a few words” and my letter never appeared. I did not even write the letter after the election of 2005. I wrote only after Helen Heiland, (still clinging to her 1st Ward Alderperson position until the grave beckons) sent a letter to the Moline Dispatch whining about how she should have been given John Gianulis’ position as Chairman of the Democratic party in Rock Island County.
So, what gives with the above?
While we’re all waiting for the suit that Donald Craven, attorney for the Quad City Times has filed against Interim Director Patrick Keen of the Illinois State Police (filed in Sangamon County) to wend its way through the courts, how can the public can find out what is going on? It’s been over a year since the fact of Mr. Leibovitz’s wrongdoing was first revealed…and many months (6, at least) since Mr. Terronez’s endorsement was removed from the campaign literature of a fellow Democratic candidate for office, due to the potential embarrassment factor. And, during that time, Mr. Terronez has still been acting as the District Attorney for Rock Island County, Illinois, even though one fact that has been admitted by the Illinois State Police is that he was and is the ongoing subject of a police investigation.
True, the investigation seemed to be about whether or not Mr. Terronez supplied alcohol to underage girls but is that all that he might be charged with when the facts hit the fan?
Some say that the Terronez case and the Leibovitz case are not separate at all, but iner-related. The entire house of cards that is Rock Island County politics might be coming crashing down on the heads of those who have called the shots and stuffed the ballots (mostly the absentee ballots) and released the wrong vote counts for years and years. How could the officials discover this?
Well, one way might be to read www.WeeklyWilson.com on January 10, 2010, where I explained how I went door-to-door exposing the corruption that existed in what should be fair elections in this county. I did it not for me, but for anyone who might come after me. It cost me $8,000, and…trust me on this…a seat at the table as 1st Ward Alderman is not worth $8,000, but preserving free and fair elections is, to me…[idealist and honest person that I am.]
I had Darren Leibovitz in school when he attended Silvis Junior High School, as I explained in the original article regarding the Leibovitz charges. I had nothing to do with the discovery of Mr. Leibovitz’ alleged misuse of federal funds to build a company that marketed voting software, which would, therefore, feather his own private nest. I did not cry a river at losing a 1st Ward alderman position that I planned to hold for the minimum amount of time—possibly only for 2 years— despite the charges some will make that I am telling this story in a “sour grapes” fashion. There have been elections since 2005, and I have not sought public office, political outsider that I was then and am now. As I told State Representative Mike Jacobs in Denver at the DNC, “I like politics as a spectator sport.” It is not nearly as much fun as a participant, especially when you can’t even expect the County Clerk’s office to fairly count the vote.
Darren Leibovitz, Richard “Dick” Leibovitz’s son, was brought in to be deputy clerk in his office by Mr. Leibovitz just before he retired, thereby placing him in a position over an employee with more seniority and more experience, Pat Randall. The rumor is that Randall has been granted immunity to tell where the skeletons are buried and how the ballot boxes got stuffed with absentee votes for whichever candidates the Powers-That-Be decreed should win this time around. Recently, an auditor (Diana Robinson) has announced she will not run for re-election. The rumor there is that she hopes, when the proverbial s*** hits the fan, that at least her pension will be secure.
What will the charges be? If the rumors turn out to be accurate, everything from vote fraud (which is what I told the Quad City Times back in 2005) to racketeering to RICO whatever. Who knows who all will be implicated and which powers on the throne will be toppled. Certainly not me. One source said, “Believe me…It’s gonna’ be far-reaching.”
Will any of the things I’ve said here turn out to be true? We’ll have to wait and see. Just ignore me, as many did when I said Obama would carry Iowa. Just ignore me, as many did when I cried “Foul!” in a small election for 1st Ward Alderman in Rock Island County in 2005. Just ignore me when I tell you that you should stay tuned for further developments, because, and I quote Quad City Times Executive Editor Jan Touney from March 9th’s paper (front page): “It is well past time that the public know what is happening with the investigation involving the Rock Island County State’s Attorney.”
To that, I say “Amen,” and I would like to add, “And it is also high time that the public know the disposition of the case against former Rock Island County Clerk Richard “Dick” Leibovitz.
Either there is a big s***-storm coming from on high, with charges that will make headlines, or there’s a large pile of dirty Democratic dealings that date back to at least 1988 piling up under the carpet in Springfield.