FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Contact: Elio Montenegro
847-239-4477
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Town Responds to Anne Kavanagh, Fox News Chicago's "Duke Lacrosse" Journalism
Cicero, Illinois... In response to the Fox News Chicago "story" on the Town of Cicero, Cicero Town Spokesman Elio Montenegro released this statement today,
In hysterical hit piece on Larry Dominick and the Town of Cicero, replete with exaggerations, inaccuracies and downright falsehoods, Fox News Chicago and Anne Kavanagh slung a myriad of salacious allegations at Cicero President Larry Dominick.
Just as with the infamous Duke Lacrosse case, Ms. Kavanagh and Fox News Chicago assumed the role of judge, jury and executioner, moving to ruin a man's reputation solely on the basis of sensationalized allegations without ever stopping to critically examine the veracity of the allegations or the credibility of the accusers. As long as the allegations are juicy enough, the motivations of the accusers or the lack of evidence serve as no impediments to Ms. Kavanagh.
Kavanagh excused her lack of due diligence by repeatedly stating that Larry Dominick would not come on camera to discuss the matter even though Ms. Kavanagh was repeatedly told that, as a policy, Dominick does not discuss pending litigation involving the Town of Cicero with the media, regardless of the topic.
Three of the accusers referenced in the Fox News Chicago report have filed frivolous and politically motivated suits against the Town after they proved unable to defeat Larry Dominick at the ballot box.
Ana Maria Montes de Oca
Ana Maria Montes de Oca, who was interviewed in Ms. Kavanagh's piece, served as the spokesman for Larry Dominick's opponent, Robert Garcia, in the last election.
Further, as everyone in Cicero knows but Ms. Kavanagh failed to learn, Ms. Montes de Oca's family owns the El Dia newspaper in Cicero; a shoddy, incoherent rag that has routinely lied about and viciously attacked Larry Dominick and everyone associated with him continually and without interruption for the past four years. In fact, Ms. Kavanagh's brand of "journalism" would fit in quite well with El Dia. Perhaps if things at Fox don't work out for her...
Janidet Lujano
In the Fox News Chicago report, Ms. Kavanagh incorrectly identifies Ms. Lujano as a Cicero police officer. Ms. Lujano served only as an auxiliary officer. Ms. Lujano sought to have Dominick bend the rules and make her a full-time police officer without her having to go through the requisite testing process. It was only when Dominick refused to do so that Lujano concocted her tale of harassment.
Incidentally, if Ms. Kavanagh had been interested in gathering any facts, she might have spoken with Rhonda Gross, an actual Cicero police officer who was harassed by Ms. Lujano's boyfriend at the time, Jerry Rodish, a former Cicero police officer terminated by the Dominick administration.
In a sworn deposition--one of the videos Ms. Kavanagh chose not to air--Officer Gross, who was Lujano's training officer, said that she knows what sexual harassment is because she suffered it at the hands of Ms. Lujano's boyfriend and that Ms. Lujano was not sexually harassed during her employ with the Town of Cicero.
Ironically, Ms. Lujano had called Officer Gross as a witness for the plaintiff but Officer Gross' testimony under oath was completely at odds with Ms. Lujano's allegations.
Athina Solomos
Athina Solomos' allegations of sexual harassment are directed at former town employee Jose Del Angel, not Larry Dominick. Dominick is named in the suit only as the result of his position as Town President but is not accused of sexual harassment. In handling this allegation of sexual harassment when it was first brought forward more than a year ago, the Town followed its policies and procedures by the book. Mr. Del Angel was disciplined, suspended and sent to sensitivity training.
Of course, none of these inconvenient facts were included in Ms. Kavanagh's witch hunt.
Sharon Starzyk
For the past five years, Sharon Starzyk regularly praised Larry Dominick for his opening of and constant support of the Town's Waggin' Tails Animal Shelter, a shelter that Dominick created and appointed Starzyk to head up. The idea that Sharon Starzyk was ever in fear for her job is preposterous.
She was routinely praised by Larry at Town Board meetings, at events at the shelter and other public events. Ms. Starzyk was an enthusiastic employee and an enthusiastic supporter for Larry Dominick for five years. Now she remembers she was sexually harassed three years ago?
If Ms. Kavanagh had bothered to speak with volunteers on Dominick's campaign or other town employees that knew Ms. Starzyk, she could have obtained this background. But, again, Ms. Kavanagh is not interested in such background or context or facts.
Here's some more facts: Ms. Starzyk's own words. In her column in the Town's monthly publication, the Cicero Town News, Starzyk consistently heaped praise on Dominick:
• "I would also like to thank President Dominick and the Town Board for allowing for the purchase of a new Animal Welfare Van. We are much in need of one and if it wasn't for them working hard to make it possible, we wouldn't have been able to obtain one."
(Cicero Town News, October 2007)
• "President Dominick is moving forward building the 'New Cicero', which as director of the shelter I am proud to be a part of.
"One family told us that they have lived in Cicero for over 50 years and there has NEVER been a Cicero President that gave one thought of having a Cicero Animal Shelter until President Dominick came along.
"President Dominick gave Cicero residents his word two years ago that they will have an Animal Shelter in Cicero-and he delivered on his word. There were some hold-ups but the "New Cicero" now has the Cicero Waggin' Tails Shelter in addition to the town's Animal Welfare Department.
"As a pet owner, President Dominick understands how important pets are to their owners. He also understands that microchips are costly and that many pet owners cannot afford to have one inserted in their pet. That is why President Dominick had the shelter offer Cicero residents the chance to have their pet microchiped at no charge-so that pet owners can be assured the ability to locate their pet if it were ever to be lost."
(Cicero Town News, January 2008)
• "Recently, President Dominick presented a new animal welfare van to the shelter to that we could better respond to all of the calls we receive. The van has custom manufactured cages, among other amenities that will better help our animal control officers do their jobs in a safe and humane way.
"Cicero residents should be proud that of our shelter and animal welfare department. We have one of the most active, professionally-staffed, and well-equipped in the State of Illinois, thanks to President Dominick's commitment to protect animals and the volunteer efforts of so many caring Cicero residents."
(Cicero Town News, April 2008)
• "I decided the theme of our celebration should be 'A Wonderful World' because, thanks to Cicero Town President Larry Dominick, our animals have get a second chance in life giving them the "wonderful world" of a loving home they deserve.
"When President Dominick took office almost four years ago he said to me, "Sharon, one of my first goals as President is to make our dream of a 'no-kill' animal shelter a reality."
"I remember we were at an event and out of the blue Larry turned to me and said, "Cicero's Waggin' Tails." I looked at him confused and he said, "That's the name for your shelter!"
(Cicero Town News, December 2008)
A PDF document containing all of Ms. Starzyk's columns can be downloaded by clicking here.
In all of these cases, no one was fired, no one was demoted, and no one was punished. No one was ever honestly in fear for their job, health insurance or benefits.
What these individuals could not achieve at the ballot box, they now want to achieve with frivolous, politically-motivated lawsuits. They want to play slot-machine justice in Cicero: make outrageous allegations, impugn people's reputations, and perhaps the town will offer a handsome settlement to make us go away.
Well, guess what, that's not going to happen. The days of slot-machine justice in Cicero ended with Larry Dominick's election. These frivolous, politically-motivated lawsuits will be fought and will be won.
Ms. Kavanagh and Fox News Chicago may not understand this but allegations, no matter how tawdry, do not substitute for evidence. Fortunately for Cicero taxpayers, the town's attorneys do a much better job of due diligence and actual evidence gathering than does Ms. Kavanagh.
We will make sure to inform Ms. Kavanagh when these cases are found in the town's favor so they can do a follow-up story to rehabilitate the reputation of Larry Dominick that they have so carelessly damaged. But we won't hold our breath that Ms. Kavanagh and Fox News Chicago will be as interested in the actual outcomes as they were in the salacious allegations.
It's just too bad that reporters cannot lose their licenses to practice when they are purposely reckless the way attorneys like Mike Nifong in the Duke Lacrosse case did.
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