THE BLADE: 'It's Morning Again in Oak Lawn'

The federal criminal subpoenas have been served, the war rooms have been rented, and the campaign literature is being printed. It’s morning again in Oak Lawn.

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While it may appear to be the quiet before the storm, Norman Chimenti, the mayor’s community theater partner and the former village legal team quarterback, filed a complaint against mayoral challenger, Dr. Sandra Bury, the Southwest News Herald reports.

Set ‘em: Southwest News Herald reporter Dermot Connolly writes that Chimenti filed complaints against Bury, a local optometrist running against two-term incumbent, Mayor Dave Heilmann. Chimenti charged that Bury did not file campaign expenditures with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Smack ‘em: According to state campaign finance rules, candidates are required to file quarterly financial reports, including campaign donations and expenses, or face stiff fines.

Bash ‘em: The Southwest News Herald said that Bury didn’t file any expenditures, including $2,500 paid to a political consultant, $1,500 for an attorney and other expenses.

Smash ‘em: Bury also did not file incurred for mailing her 11-page manifesto charging that Heilmann had cost Oak Lawn taxpayers $10 million because of his friends, the former village attorneys.

Knock ‘em all down: The state elections board found in favor of the claimant, Chimenti, which found Bury "guilty of several violations in failing to properly disclose her campaign expenditures last September," the Southwest News Herald reported.

Spin 'em – Bury, who says she is a newcomer to politics, attributed the violations to a mistake in paperwork. “This was vindictive. It was just a nuisance case,” she told Southwest News Herald.

Made it go away: “I just re-filed the documents correctly and that was the end of it,” Bury said.

Attack ‘em: Speaking of alleged campaign violations, Bury said that Heilmann misused the village seal in the St. Linus Men’s Club Smoker ad book last October, because the ad included his running mates and “amounted to a campaign ad.”

Bury ‘em:  “The village has incurred thousands of dollars in legal expenses on [freedom of information act requests] from Ms. Bury, asking our staff to search for records so she can try and dig up some dirt for a political attack. I am sorry that she feels that that conduct is acceptable while violating state election laws is a ‘nuisance,’” Heilmann told the Southwest News Herald.

Punish ‘em: The state elections board required Bury to refile her campaign expenses within 15 days or face fines up to $5,000. “I wasn’t fined. It was nothing,” she said.

You can read Dermot Connelly’s fine report on the Southwest News Herald web site.

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