Hide Article Text (OCR)
Tezak tie to indicted car dealer fuels Collins, Demo offensiveBy TOM TOZERNews that a Joliet car dealer with ties to Will county Republican leader Robert Tezak owns the building that housesthe county’s Private Industry council offices (PIC) has put two Democratic candidates on the offensive.Shawn Collins, candidate in the Fourth Congressional district, yesterday called the report damaging to his opponent, state Rep. Jack Davis. Davis, of New Lenox, also is Will county Republican chairman.John Bays, a co-owner with Tezak of the Penney’s building in downtown Joliet, has admitted being sole owner, in a blind trust, of the building at 225-227 North Chicago street, where PIC headquarters is housed.BAYS WAS INDICTED July 30 on charges of deceptive practices allegedly relating to rolling back odometers and false information on title documents, and offenses relating to possession of title and registration of new vehicles, according to the Will county state’s attorney’s office.PIC last year moved its offices from a building where it paid about $35,000 annual rent to Bays’ building, where the council pays $106,000 in rent. Bays reportedly bought the building for $85,000.“This is a case of another political crony capitalizing on his political connections, Collins said.He termed Davis, Tezak and county board Chairman John Anner-ino “peas in a pod and birds of a feather ... They work hand-in-hand for their own benefit.“THAT GROUP from Davis on down should be out of government, and Davis should be the first to go,” Collins said.Collins further termed the Republican Eagles organization in Will county “a slush fund.” Earlier this month, the Democratic candidate released a copy of a letter from Tezak to potential Eagles members.Membership fees would “come back to you many times over, Tezak wrote the potential Eagles.“It certainly seems to have come back to Bays. I wonder if John Bays is a high-flying Eagle,” Collins said.THE REPUBLICAN Eagles is a fund-raising group sponsored by the Will County Republican Central committee.Tezak, who is Will county coroner, has rejected Collins’ criticism of the Eagles, and countered that the Democrat is raising the issue to distract attention from his own campaignDavis, interviewed in Chicago Heights yesterday, said that Bays is not a member of the Eagles and never has been.“It’s ludicrous. If he’s got any evidence, why doesn’t he bring it forward,” Davis said.“HE SEEMS to be running for the chairmanship of the Republican party. He should look into his own party.”Davis also said that Collins too often sees “things as suspicious. His stock-in-trade is innuendo, insinuation and character assassination. But I’m not going to get into a name-calling contest with this guy. His campaign is flagging and he knows it.”Davis said he looks forward to Tuesday’s debate with Collins in Park Forest where he intends to “talk about Collins’ background.”Meanwhile, Republicans claim the PIC office location is a sign of economic recovery in the Joliet area.ANNERINO LAST week, in an offhand remark at the county board meeting, said those who oppose the location are opposed to economic development.“All they want is decay,” he said.But “economic development is not moving offices from building to building, and it is likely drawing money from another worthwhile economic project,” Collins charged.Thomas Dunn, candidate for the Illinois Senate, 42nd district, said the issue is not yet resolved for him.DUNN LAST week called for the U. S. Attorney’s office to investigateRich township will dedicate its new facilities extension at 10 a.m. Saturday at the site, 22013 Governors highway in Richton Park.The building, which is immediately north of the township’s town hall and community center, will house road district equipment, Senior Wheels buses and emergency vehicles.Township trustees Carney A. Barr, Thomas W, Knowles, William C. Letzsch and Dale P. Zahn will share duties in presiding at the ceremony.REMARKS WILL be given by James D. Brown, the township’s highway commissioner.Also participating will be the Rev. Lynn Spitz-Nagel, pastor of Faith United Church of Christ, Matteson, who will offer the invocation, and the Rev. Roger LaWarre, pastor ofthe blind trust that owns the PIC building.“I don’t think the issue is settled. The fact of the matter is that secrecy in government has not fostered confidence in government,” Dunn said.This is taxpayers’ money. They have a right to know who is involved in a blind trust that collects rent from a government agency,” he added.PIC IS FUNDED with federal tax revenue by the U. S. Department of Labor and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.The funds are distributed in Illinois by the state Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.Dunn called into question two statements made by his opponent in the 42nd Senate district, Joliet MayorJohn Bourg.Bourg last week told reporters he knew who the owners of the blindtrilSt W6T6.BOURG ANNOUNCED Bays’ sole ownership at a news conference Tuesday. But when confronted with a fire department record of building inspection that named Tezak as the owner, Bourg said he did not know if Tezak also was involved in thetrust.“First he said he knows who owns it, and now he says he doesn’t know if Bobby (Tezak) owns the building Sounds confusing to me, Dunn said.Bourg could not be reached for comment Wednesday morningThe Dunn-Bourg race is viewed as one of the key contests that could decide which party controls the state Senate.St. Paul’s-Good Shepherd United Protestant church, Park Forest, who will give the benediction.Invited guests include Rudolph Banovich, village president, Richton Park; State Rep Robet P. Regan; Jerry Grubman, regional coordinator of the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency and Edward Ro-senberger of Matteson, architect for the project. |Also on the program will be a demonstration by the township’s ESDA unit, headed by Charles Corkery, and the showing of Senior Wheels buses, coordinated by Mildred Marek.Other Rich township officials are Dewey Helmick, supervisor; Donald G. Van Horn, clerk; Shirley J. Green, assessor and Terry Townsend, collector.Township to dedicate facilities
Newspaper Details
Park Forest Star
Park Forest, Illinois, US
Thu, Sep 25, 1986
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
AZ, USA 22 Jan 2020
Other Publications Near Park Forest, Illinois
Park Forest South End Review
Park Forest Park Forest South End Review
Park Forest South End Reporter
Park Forest South Star
Star
