Wilson Calls for Federal Probe of Mayor’s Absentee Ballot “Scam”

Says his actions are like that of a “snake”

By Chinta Strausberg

Angered that someone associated with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s re-election campaign allegedly sent out absentee ballots with his return address on it rather than the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, mayoral hopeful Willie Wilson Thursday called for a federal investigation, an apology from the mayor he called  “a snake.”

At a press conference held at his downtown home, Wilson said he is not sure how many absentee ballots went out “but we’re calling for an investigation to make sure they look into the whole situation….” “I am not saying it was him (the mayor). We only look at the evidence we got. It (the absentee ballot) ought to be returned to the Election Board and not a P.O. Box for one of the candidates.”

Referring to the mayor’s previous actions where he challenged Wilson’s 47,000 signatures on his petition, Wilson said, “That doesn’t go well with me. I don’t put anything past him. I had to pay thousands and thousands of dollars just to stay on the ballot. This is black history month. You don’t try to disenfranchise anyone from voting. You don’t try that. You should be encouraging people to vote.”

Asked by this reporter what was his initial reaction when he learned of the absentee ballot scam, Wilson said, “He’s a snake. I think he was a snake when he was trying to disenfranchise me personally and the 47,000 citizens…. This man will do anything for to get elected.

“I called him a snake also because he closed 50 schools in our community, but that snake may be too good for him because they wouldn’t have closed them,” Wilson said.

His lawyer, Frank Avila was also upset over the absentee ballot scam. “Even if this is legal, the absentee now mail in absentee ballot should be sent to 69 West Washington, 6^th floor not to Emanuel’s mailbox.”

Saying there is no accountability or security involved in having these ballots sent to the mayor’s political PO Box number, Avila asked, “Who is picking the ballot up?   How do we know if it is getting to the Board of Election”?

Avila said he doesn’t feel comfortable with Emanuel’s asking voters to send their completed absentee ballot to his campaign P.O. box. I am asking him to cease and desist asking people to send those absentee ballots to Rahm Emanuel’s campaign post office address but rather to the board.”

Avila said this smacks of regular “vote fraud… that typical machine tactic. “ He said this comes after winning a ballot petition battle with the mayor who challenged all of Wilson’s 47,000 signatures. Avila said, “it created confusion” with voters and added, “I think it is wrong.”

However, Jim Allen, a spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Election, said candidates could ask that absentee ballots be returned to their campaigns. “We receive an application from the voter and they can do that on line or through a campaign or they can mail them directly to us.  It is legal” for a candidate to ask voters to return their completed absentee ballot to them before it is sent to the board. “Voters can then monitor their absentee ballot on our website,” explained. Allen who said this process began in 2010.

Asked if African Americans will be swayed by this latest scandal, Wilson said, “I hope that the African Americans will see him for what he is for closing those 50 schools, for not giving the right dollar amount for contracts to all citizens of Chicago not just African American but Latino, white, Asian Americans….

“He’s arrogant. He doesn’t seem to care. He doesn’t want to talk to nobody. He makes these decisions. He goes on TV and says he is for minimum wages but he does it three-months before the election. Why didn’t he do that four-years ago”? asked Wilson.

Ironically, on Thursday Mayor Emanuel flooded voter’s mailboxes with large brochures saying, “They made it tougher. For years, politicians failed to pass a minimum wage increase, leaving Chicagoans who work full time living in poverty.”  Emanuel’s four-page ad says he “took on the politicians and businesses that opposed raising the minimum wage and passed a hike to $13 per hour, so people who work full time can raise their family.”

Wilson was referring to the City Council’s approving an ordinance on December 2, 2014 raising the minimum wage for Chicago workers to $13.00 by the year 2019, but a day earlier the City Council passed a bill raising the minimum wage to $10 in seven months, an $11 minimum wage by the year 2017 and a final increase to $13 by 2019 in addition to inflation increases after 2019. Wilson feels the mayor’s push to pass this ordinance was all about his re-election bid.

Reminded that the mayor continues to get African American support, Wilson, who has a $60 million-a-year medical supply business and heads the “Singsation” gospel show on WGN-TV, quipped, “Some people want to go back to Egypt…, but I’m not returning back to Egypt. “

Reminded that some people say he is not qualified to run for mayor, Wilson said, “Then why are people at me so tough to try to keep me off the ballot. I am qualified to run my business, which I do. I am qualified to give $1 million a year away to the community. I am qualified to hire people out of the community and around the country. I am qualified to give money away to people on the street. I’m qualified to help whites, blacks, Hispanics and others who work for me. I m qualified….”

Wilson said he is going to release his income taxes for the past five-years sometime before Monday.

Asked about food poisoning he experienced earlier this week and if someone was trying to poison him, Wilson said, “It was probably bad food. I won’t be eating just anywhere. My wife will fix my food and bring me my water. I’m just being cautious. You never know what people may do.”

Asked if he is trying to follow the legacy of Mayor Harold Washington, Wilson said, “I’m just trying to follow Jesus Christ. That is all that is important to me. If he says it is OK. I don’t do nothing without consulting with him…. I will do it according to my faith, my belief and the best of my ability and if I fall somewhere short, I am entitled to grace and mercy.” “I won’t try to impersonate somebody else. I just want to be me….” Wilson, whose platform includes improving economic development, public safety, education, equal opportunity for jobs and contracts, said his goal is to unite the various races and to make all sides of the city look like “downtown Chicago.’

Wilson said his main opponent is the mayor. “When you disenfranchise 50 schools from the African American and Hispanic communities, you are messing with our kids future. We’re way back as it is.” Wilson criticized the mayor for closing the schools saying it also hurt parents who lost their jobs and created a dangerous environment for students who are forced to cross into gang territories.

Wilson said he would be pushing for his supporters to cast their ballots during the February 9^th to February 21^st. early vote program.  He is also looking forward to the upcoming debate.

Asked about the Chicago Tribune mid-December’s political questionnaire that contained misspellings and incomplete sentences, which turned out to be filled in by an assistant, prompting charges he is not ready to be a mayor, Wilson said, “What is important to me is what the voters say. That is what I will go on.

“This country is made up of people that haven’t got things some people were fortunate enough to go to school…but that don’t make them bad people. God made us all equal.

“I’m fighting trying to get petitions,” he said. “I ain’t got time to fill out questionnaire for the Tribune when I got to get on the ballot and I got to spend thousands of dollars to get on the ballot I am not interested in filling out nobody’s questionnaire. I am interested on getting on the ballot so I can represent the citizens of Chicago to make me mayor of this great city,” Wilson told reporters.

Steve Mayberry, a spokesperson for Mayor Emanuel, did not return this reporter’s calls.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.