July 7, 2008
Cook County State's
Attorney
Public Integrity Division
Regarding the investigation into the conduct of Berwyn City Clerk Tom Pavlik
Good Morning Ron:
This letter is being written pursuant to
our conversation last April regarding Tom Pavlik’s
conduct as it relates to my receipt of a list of Berwyn
pet licensees. You are probably aware that additional
allegations have been made regarding certain activity at
the Police and Fire Committee level. This is to advise
you that I am providing you under separate cover
evidence which I believe establishes, among other
things, the following:
1: That Mr. Pavlik selectively chose
certain records and ignored other
records and assembled them in a
manner which was intended to
mislead people and to discredit
me.
2: That Mr. Pavlik has not told the
truth.
3: That Mr. Pavlik frequently engages in
political campaigning from his
office at city hall and I have frequently asked him to
please stop.
4: That Mr. Pavlik has used
his office for the purpose of political intimidation.
For an
overview of the “Pet Licensee” issue, click here:
Chicago Tribune article
You may also follow the investigation at
www.BerwynBrick.com
(click on Case Study 4)
To view a copy of the issue of The Grass Roots
Journal which is in dispute as a “political
publication”, click here:
www.TheGrassRootsJournal.com
In addition to being referred to the
United States Attorney’s Office or the Internal Revenue
Service or the Attorney General's Office, the following are among other matters which may
be of interest to your office and which require
investigation.
Fundraising Tactics
It appears that the campaign fundraising
tactics that some say are reminiscent of the Marzullo-Lovero-Stillo Berwyn political
machine are making a come-back. What appears to be the good
old fashion political "shake down" appears to
be emerging
where campaign fundraising for Alderman Robert Lovero is
concerned. We have tangible evidence that off-duty
policemen entered a Berwyn Bar and had a "fundraising
conversation" with the Bar's Owner. The nature of that
conversation should be of interest to the United States
Attorney's Office.
I understand that off-duty policemen have
every right to engage in political activity. However,
whether on or off duty, there can be a strong
intimidating factor when a police officer asks a
business for a political donation. The
question in many people's minds is whether and to what
extent the Marzullo-Lovero-Stillo patronage hires are
acting on behalf of their political benefactors. The
frequent absence of employment applications and
interview records during the Marzullo-Lovero-Stillo
decade of control over city government range from
sketchy to non-existent.
The
Possibility Of An Illegal Increase In Salary And
Possible
Unreported Income
During the decade in which this city was
controlled by Marzullo, Lovero and Stillo, a number of
elected officials filled up their personal cars at the
city gas tank. They were given a gas key which allowed
them access to the city gas pumps. There is no record
of any ordinance or policy which permitted elected
officials this privilege. And no one objected.
The law prohibits elected officials from
raising their own salaries during their term in
office. Certainly the value of the gasoline taken from
a gas pump owned by the taxpayers must be considered as
additional income.
Alderman Nona Chapman was one of the
aldermen who frequently filled her personal car at the
city gas pump during that period of time. Questions raised
by her actions include, but are not limited to, the
following:
1. Did Alderman Chapman
increase her own salary by filling up her personal car
at the city gas pump?
2:
If considered additional income, did Alderman Chapman
report the income?
If there is any way in which I may
continue to cooperate in these and other matters, please
feel free to call on me at anytime.
Best wishes,
Joel Erickson
Return To Case History 1
