* Alderman Bernie Stone had a couple of really bizarre reactions to this turn of events yesterday…
A member of Ald. Bernard Stone’s political organization who also serves as the 50th Ward’s Streets and Sanitation Department superintendent was charged Monday following an investigation into alleged vote fraud in last year’s aldermanic election.
Anish Eapen, 37, of the 7500 block of North California Avenue, faces charges of official misconduct, absentee ballot fraud and mutilation of election materials, officials said..
* We’ll get to the reaction in a moment, but here’s more of the background…
A source familiar with the investigation said Eapen and Ramos “would target different people—primarily Indian and Pakistani voters—and suggest that they take absentee ballots. They would give them reasons why they should be taking absentee ballots—not necessarily valid reasons. They would be present when they filled out the application for the absentee ballot and, in some instances, they would bring the absentee ballot back to the people to vote.”
* And the payoff…
“We know where this all started. We know it’s politically-based. When does it break? Eight days before an election where Congressman Schakowsky is backing my opponent. It stems from an election where Congressman Schakowsky was backing my opponent….Her aide was soliciting the state’s attorney to investigate. It’s absolutely a devious political trick. That my good friend Dick Devine can be part of it is shocking,” Stone said.
Yep. Jan Schakowsky is now dictating Dick Devine’s investigations. Sounds perfectly sane and reasonable to me.
* But the black helicopters don’t stop there…
He added, “For the last six months, there has been a virtual campaign directed at anybody who voted for Bernie Stone. I always thought the ballot box was sealed. Apparently, nobody who voted for anybody else has ever gone before the grand jury. How do investigators know how these people voted? Has the secrecy of the ballot box been breached?…. They’re being asked, `Why did you vote for Bernie Stone?’ “
Perhaps, alderman, they’re asking your voters about alleged misdeeds because your guys are the ones who absentee voted them. You don’t need some super-secret G-Man code on ballots to figure that out.