Phony Tony?
After reading Amy Wooten's interview with Tony Peraica in Windy City Times, I felt I had to write this letter.
In the interview, Mr. Peraica said that he has 'worked with members of the gay and lesbian community' and that he wants 'dialogue with members of the gay and lesbian community.' Yet, Mr. Peraica has avoided meeting with gay and lesbian constituents who live in his district ( myself included ) and has refused to return our phone calls or letters attempting to set up a meeting to talk to him.
I would like to relay the following story about Mr. Peraica that shows his true colors:
In February 2002 at the All Berwyn Committee Candidates Forum, when Mr. Peraica was running against Alan Carr in the Republican primary, Mr. Peraica made several deragatorry and inflamatory remarks about gays and lesbians. ( He did not seem to realize that there were four gay people present when he made the remarks. )
After I found out he had made these remarks, I tried to contact Mr. Peraica so that I and other members of BUNGALO ( Berwyn United Neighborhood Gay And Lesbian Organization ) could meet with him to talk to him about the remarks that he had made at the candidate's forum.
I wrote and sent letters to his house and to his office asking to meet with him. I got his work and home phone numbers and left messages asking to meet with him. I even camped outside his law office one Saturday to try to talk to him.
Mr. Peraica never returned my phone calls, never contacted me and refused to meet with me. I have talked many times to Republicans in the state legislature who were against my positions on gay issues ( such as Bill O'Connor, Jim Durkin, Tom Walsh and Frank Aguilar ) , but at least they had the courtesy to meet with me even though they disagreed with me on gay issues.
Mr. Peraica did not even have the courtesy to meet and talk with us about his comments, even though we are constituents who live in the district. So, when Mr. Peraica states that he 'has worked with members of the gay and lesbian community' and that 'he wants a dialogue with members of the gay and lesbian community,' he is lying. He has avoided meeting with and talking to the gays and lesbians who live in his district.
Ted Korbos, Berwyn
Vote for Tom
Support the judge who has made an impact on our community.
As a regular voter, I generally strive to make sure I know the candidates and the issues before going to the polls in November. I am sure that we all are getting tired of the campaign advertising and trying to identify fact from fiction. But for me, now that my work has me traveling to the east coast, I had to vote early and, although this was convenient, it did leave me somewhat unprepared. Don't let this same mistake happen to you and miss an opportunity to keep in place judges who have made an impact on our community. Don't miss the opportunity to retain Judge Tom Chiola; fortunately, I did go zipping past #156 and did mark to retain him.
What is important to understand in the judge retention voting is that 60 percent of all votes cast must be 'yes.' So skipping is like issuing a no vote. Judge Chiola, a member of the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, has revolutionized the court system with his fair and just handling of issues and unquestionable integrity. Tom was the first openly gay judge in Illinois.
However, his public service is not the only thing that he is providing to this community. As an 18-year volunteer with Open Hand/Vital Bridges, he helped to make sure that our community did not go hungry from the early years of our struggle in the AIDS pandemic. He was part of the Buddy Program with Howard Brown in the '80s when we were all on the front line as soldiers in the battles. He currently is involved in the youth-mentoring program with Howard Brown, and shares with youth the wisdom of our judicial system and how people can make a difference such as Tom has.
So let me recommend that you check www.VoteforJudges.org . This Web site has the lowdown on judges so you can make an informed decision. However, make sure you vote #156, which is a yes to retain Judge Tom Chiola.
Use your power to vote this November and send the message to Washington and beyond.
Dean Ogren, Chicago
