Posted on 01/12/2023 6:20:56 AM PST by PBRCat
The candidacy of a man seeking election to the Niles-Maine District Library Board of Trustees in the April 4 election has been challenged, citing convictions for assaulting a woman and a now-expired ban on using local parks, according to records obtained by Chicago Tribune/ Pioneer Press.
Niles resident Jason Trunco, 42, served 120 days in a North Carolina jail after he was convicted of assault on a female when he was 21 years old, in 2002, according to the Wake County Clerk of Court’s office.
Locally, Trunco was banned from Niles Park District parks and programs from June 2020 to June 2021, according to documents obtained by Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press. Niles Park District staff said the district has no documentation that anyone else has ever been banned.
In a statement to Pioneer Press, Trunco said his history with the law does not and should not bar him from holding an elected position.
Raleigh, North Carolina police reports obtained by Pioneer Press state that on Nov. 28, 2001, police arrested Trunco, then 21, and he was accused of assault with other dangerous weapon. The victim is listed as a 19-year-old woman.
On March 20, 2002, another Raleigh Police report indicates Trunco, then 21, was arrested and accused of assault at a different Raleigh address against the same woman, then 20.
The Wake County Clerk of Court’s office said Trunco was found guilty of assault on a female, sentenced to two 60-day sentences and served 120 days in jail in 2002.
Trunco is running for library board alongside current Trustees Becky Keane and Umair Qadeer and Niles resident Roberto Botello as the “Reclaim Our Library Slate,” which has the endorsement of Niles Mayor George Alpogianis.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
“Trunco is running for the library committee as a “Reclaim Our Library Slate” endorsed by Niles Mayor George Alpogianis, alongside current trustees Becky Keane and Umair Qadeer, and Niles resident Roberto Botello. Members of the list support reversing some of the drastic cuts that some library board members have pushed through since May 2021. “
“In a letter to Trunco obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Niles Park District executive director Tom Elenz stated that Trunco was watching volleyball at the Golf View Recreational Center when he yelled at a referee, he was supposed to “open his eyes” and gave him the middle finger. In the letter, Elenz said other parents escorted Trunco off the premises.”
Political parties, Republicans and Democrats, are notoriously poor at vetting their candidates. Barak Obama, Ilhan Omar, George Santos, etc.
That’s also the voters’ job.
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