Weisner Announces Run for Mayor Again Despite Federal Scrutiny of Campaign Finance and Investigations of Corruption and Misconduct

Tom Weisner, Boytoy Gerry Galloway and Raghuveer Nayak
don't want you to see this picture or know what they are doing

Weisner wants to run for mayor of Aurora again despite federal
scrutiny into campaign finance, pay-to-play and investigations
into corruption, misconduct and new allegations of payoffs

Video excerpt of Tom Weisner's
so-called announcement
1 minute

The Dark Side is strong in old-guard Tom Weisner and he wants to keep his old-guard gang structure in place to do more damage to Aurora, enrich more buddies, raise more taxes, spend taxpayer dollars and put Aurora into financial bankruptcy.

Weisner announced on Thursday before a closed-door registration-only group he wants to run for mayor again despite federal scrutiny into campaign finance and investigations into corruption along with a striking record of incompetence, deception and disregard for taxpayers.

Tom Weisner's mayoral experiment has been a failure of epic proportions, but sources tell OpenlineBlog.com the investigations into Weisner's various debacles ranging from campaign finance to the drive-in fiasco to the Shodeen hole-in-the-ground to Planned Parenthood are very serious.

Then, as if all that wasn't bad enough, we learn that on the heels of the indictments from Chicago's City Hall with the Daley regime involving building and zoning officials, there are allegations of misconduct by the Weisner regime at Aurora's City Hall, including attempts to payoff people to keep them silent.

Tom Weisner, Chuck Nelson, Alayne Weingartz, Herman Beneke, Bill Wiet and Bob Vaughan are just some of the names from Aurora's City Hall that have popped up with very serious allegations.

With all this, Weisner is relying on his cronies to stick by him financially even as it appears the ship is leaking and nothing he does will stop it from sinking. Cronies from Dicky "the Sleazeball" Hawks to John "Cronyism" Cordogan to Raghuveer "Who Can I Buy" Nayak are going to have to choose whether to sink with Weisner or save themselves.

Meanwhile, more bad news for Weisner is his own poll that was taken recently. Sources close to Weisner have said Alderman Rick Lawrence is beating Weisner. And, Weisner is barely beating Alderman Stephanie Kifowit for second place.

On the bright side for Weisner, he was at least doing well against previous mayoral candidate and current Alderman Richard Irvin, who will not be running for mayor.

We are glad Tom Weisner took our advice and decided to run again. While it is looking more likely that he may end up having to run and go AWOL at some point when the investigations reach the boiling point, we would prefer to see him held accountable by voters for all the debacles and exploitation of taxpayers.

Tom and Marilyn Weisner have made politics dirty in Aurora, but there will be an opportunity in 2009 to clean up the mess they have made and put Aurora back on track.

***5/25 UPDATE - Congratulations to Dan Campana of the Beacon-News for Sunday's in-depth articles on Weisner's campaign finance problems, the donor and how it has cost your taxdollars. More soon on Dan's story and the aftershocks rumbling through the old-guard of Aurora and increased attention by federal and state officials into allegations of corruption by Tom Weisner and his cronies.

Weisner Paranoia | Tom & Marilyn Close Doors to Public for Cronyfest; Registration Required to Attend So-Called Announcement

Tom Weisner is Paranoid - 2:44

Tom Weisner wants to run for Mayor of Aurora again on his record of massive tax increases, wild spending, corruption, deception, incompetence and enriching his buddies, but his so-called announcement on Thursday evening will be shut-off to the general public that he expects will give him another four years to destroy Aurora.

After recently charging taxpayers a fee to hear the "State of the City" speech, spending taxdollars on a citywide newsletter from the City of Aurora to pretend everything is going well, he doesn't want just anyone to hear what he has to say and, even worse, question him on anything.

Is he worried people are going to find out about his own poll results where he is losing to Alderman Rick Lawrence and barely beating Alderman Stephanie Kifowit? At least he's easily beating Alderman Richard Irvin, who isn't even running.

Tom and Marilyn Weisner are dirty political operatives so they are paranoid that everyone else must be as dirty and abnormal as them.

It speaks volumes the mayor of the second largest city in Illinois is afraid to face the public.

Tom, what do you have to hide?

Magnet Schools and Programs in East Aurora and West Aurora | What is the Best Way to Challenge Gifted Students?

Somewhere in the midst of the not-so-bright people running the City of Aurora like Tom Weisner, Alayne Weingartz and their old-guard gang of cronies and exploiters, there are some bright spots with gifted and talented kids in all area school districts.

Both East Aurora School District 131 and West Aurora School District 129 are either proceeding or considering "magnet" schools or programs. There is still a need to overall improve District 129 (West) and address the serious crisis with District 131 (East).

What is the best way to identify, challenge and support the brightest minds in Aurora's schools?

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Change We Must Believe In | Alderman Rick Lawrence Proposes Campaign Finance Ordinance for City of Aurora to Limit Mix of Contributions with City Biz

* The Appearance of Impropriety *

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, campaign boytoy Gerry Galloway
and crony Raghuveer Nayak meeting behind-the-scenes in
one of many examples of how campaign contributions have been
mixed with various interests of donors seeking something

Alderman Rick Lawrence introduced a campaign finance ordinance
that would change the way business and politics is done in Aurora
limiting the problems when campaign contributions and city business mix.

Alderman Rick Lawrence, a 2009 candidate for Mayor of Aurora, has introduced a campaign finance ordinance that would limit contributions to candidates in city elections and address the problems and concerns with those who do business with the city.

The legislation would provide up to $1,500 of contributions per candidacy and make it easier for companies that want to do business with the city not feel they must make a contribution.

Mr. Lawrence has asked both other mayoral candidates, Tom Weisner and Stephanie Kifowit, to join in support of this ordinance. Previously, Weisner said he would support such an ordinance.

Lawrence said "even the appearance of impropriety damages our ability to govern and city government's credibility. The people of Aurora should have full faith and confidence that our decisions are based solely on merits and we avoid favoritism, undue influence or political relationships."

During the Weisner regime, there has been an endless stream of campaign contributors for Weisner who have "coincidentally" received lucrative contracts, favors, jobs or other benefits at taxpayer expense.

Lawrence also said "I have been surprised at the focus of some elected officials to continually raise funds, including specifically targeting those companies that have contracts with the city."

"We have seen similar levels of contributions and even some of the same players exert influence over state officials, which has led to an environment and culture of corruption, pay-to-play, investigations and indictments."

To protect businesses from feeling any pressure, any business should not feel obligated to contribute to in order to to be a considered fairly for city business. Lawrence also says nobody should fear retaliation or exclusion from city business because of not making a contribution.

A major contractor who does business with the city told OpenlineBlog.com "we would like to see this ordinance happen. We hate the pressure of being asked to write a check to the mayor in order to be considered for city business."

Given the history of pay-to-play in the State of Illinois, the recent conviction of Governor George Ryan, the ongoing corruption investigations of Governor Rod Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, the City of Aurora could raise the bar higher than most of the rest of the state on ethics and campaign finance.

Both Blagojevich and Weisner share similar campaign donors with large contributions, including but not limited to Raghuveer Nayak and John Cordogan.

The City of Chicago also has an ordinance limiting contributions for those that do business with the city and there already exists limits in even bigger campaigns (i.e. federal campaigns where $2,300 is the maximum contribution).

Individuals who don't have the obvious conflict-of-interest would not be affected.

Now that the mayoral field is shaping up, this is a unique opportunity and test for the three mayoral candidates and the rest of the city council to demonstrate they are more interested in the best interests of the people of Aurora instead of the best interests of those who contribute to them.

We strongly support any proposal that limits the influence of money into politics and instead puts ethics and integrity as the priority and urge the city council and mayor to quickly finalize this legislation for unanimous approval.

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Fleecing of Aurora | Weisner's Boytoy Gerry Galloway and MetroFi Seek to Stick Taxpayers With Millions in Costs for Weisner's WiFi Debacle

MetroFi, the company that hired political sleazeball and Weisner boytoy Gerry Galloway, has failed in Aurora, Naperville and other communities with their "free wifi" model with poor technology, poor planning, poor execution and poor decisions.

But wait...why not just stick the bill for it all to taxpayers? That's what Weisner's boytoy Gerry Galloway is working on with his buddy, Tom Weisner, who is an expert at sticking millions of dollars of costs to taxpayers.

The company wants to unload its small pockets of existing network to Aurora to run itself or get taxpayers to pay for it to finish the whole network.

Carie Ergo, Weisner's spokesgirl, says the mayor is considering options for taxpayers to get stuck with the failed network.

Obama Blasts Influence of Lobbyists...Like Buddy Dan Shomon Who Got Lobbying Gig at Taxpayer Expense from Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner

Obama Blasts Lobbyists | 2 minutes

Local political rockstar and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama has blasted the influence of lobbyists again.

We agree.

However, there's one problem. Obama's buddy, Dan Shomon, who takes credit for running Obama's statewide campaigns in Illinois and being a close political advisor, got involved in the City of Aurora's mayoral race in 2005.

After Obama made it clear he would remain neutral in the non-partisan race, there was a shift thanks to Dan Shomon's deal with then candidate Tom Weisner.

Dan Shomon contributes money to Tom Weisner and gets him the endorsement of Obama.

Weisner then gives Dan Shomon a lucrative "do nothing" lobbying gig at taxpayer expense.

If Obama says the influence of lobbyists are the problem, then shouldn't that apply to his buddy Dan Shomon and the so-called mayor of Aurora?

Barack Obama is taking a clear position against lobbyists. Unless Weisner cuts Dan Shomon loose, it is clear Weisner favors lobbyists and is against Obama.

In the meantime, we hope Obama is paying attention and cuts the cord to Dan Shomon and Tom Weisner who are doing the same type of political games everyone claims to hate.

Let's have change we can believe in.

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Election 2009 | Weisner Conducts Poll and Survey to Determine How Much He's Screwed Up as Mayor of Aurora

Many of our viewers have been contacted about a push poll and survey by so-called mayor Tom Weisner to determine opinion of him, how much he's screwed up, the popularity of his opponents and how serious of a problem he has in getting re-elected.

Considering the Weisner regime is best known for corruption, deception, incompetence, misconduct, massive tax increases, wild spending, skyrocketing debt, labor disputes, killing a drive-in theater, wasting millions, enriching his buddies and a certain Planned Parenthood controversy, we can see why he might be concerned.

Alderman Rick Lawrence and Alderman Stephanie Kifowit have previously announced their candidacy for Mayor of Aurora.

For those that were contacted about the poll and to share with our viewers who did not, what questions did you find interesting?

With Rick Lawrence Seeking Mayor of Aurora, Who Could Step Into the Challenge of Fourth Ward Alderman?

With Rick Lawrence's candidacy for Mayor of Aurora, someone
will have to rise to the challenge of being 4th Ward Alderman

Aurora's Fourth Ward Alderman Rick Lawrence has made such a positive difference for his ward that many residents and viewers have emailed us saying "we wish he could be both mayor and still remain alderman at the same time."

One resident said "Rick Lawrence has put priorities in place for our ward and got things done. Anyone who replaces him better be prepared to work hard because Rick has raised the bar so high.

Another resident emailed us and said "He's going to be a great mayor for Aurora and we all want to see him have the opportunity to improve Aurora, but he will be missed as alderman in our ward. He has made a positive impact on everything from streets to crime to development to the schools, all while being fiscally responsible and protecting taxpayers."

The near west side of Aurora ward is one of the most diverse in Aurora, with the classic neighborhoods around Aurora University to the problems of Jericho Circle to the downtown area where Alderman Rick Lawrence successfully moved the River Street Plaza project into reality, which is Aurora's only success story since 2005.

Hal Beebee, who has owned an insurance company in Aurora for many years, is one of various individuals who have or will announce interest in running to be the next fourth ward alderman.

According to Rick Lawrence, "the ward is a challenge and requires very hard and dedicated work to solve problems and find solutions, so I'm supportive of finding someone that cares about the best interests of the ward and the taxpayers of Aurora."

He added "several people have expressed interest and talked to me. As mayor, I will represent the entire city, but still do whatever I can to help the next alderman to continue the progress we've made in the fourth ward."

Aside from the fourth ward, the following are city council seats with their current occupants that will change in 2009 (we strongly encourage people to run for these seats):

Ward 2 - Juany Garza

Ward 7 - Scheketa Hart-Burns

Ward 8 - Rick Mervine (Chris Beykirch's seat)

Ward 9 - Leroy Keith

Ward 10 - Lynda Elmore

At-Large - Bob O'Connor

Free Weisner Chicken Biscuit or Sandwich from McD's

Tom Weisner, the so-called mayor of Aurora, is a chicken.

He's afraid to answer questions about the various scandals that surround him from corruption to blunders wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.

He's chicken when it comes to accountability and he's so afraid of Alderman Rick Lawrence and Alderman Stephanie Kifowit in the Aurora mayoral race, he's already doing a lengthy poll to try and figure out how to identify the mess he's made.

So, in honor of Tom Weisner being a chicken, OpenlineBlog.com and McDonald's are giving away chicken biscuits and chicken sandwiches today for FREE with the purchase of any drink.

That's right. Go to any participating McDonald's in Aurora, order any drink and ask them for either a "Weisner Chicken Biscuit - Southern Style" for breakfast or "Weisner Chicken Sandwich - Southern Style" for lunch or dinner.

Remember, it's Weisner Chicken Day.

Ask for Weisner Chicken by name.

Presented by OpenlineBlog.com and participating McDonald's.
Chicken suit designed by Cordogan Clark.

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Weisner Crony Rick Mervine Gets Temporary 8th Ward Alderman Gig | Does He Have the Courage to Say No to Tom or Will He Be a Boytoy Like Leroy Keith?

On Tuesday, the temporary vacancy for the City of Aurora's Alderman of the 8th Ward was filled by the appointment of Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner's crony and campaign contributor, Rick Mervine.

Former Alderman Chris Beykirch has become the Small Business Coordinator for the Aurora Economic Development Commission and the 8th Ward seat is up for grabs in early 2009.

Mervine's track record isn't pretty. Aside from being a crony and buddy of Tom Weisner, which automatically puts you on the radar screen for corruption and/or incompetence, Mervine's "work" for the city has had serious problems, ranging from his role in the demise of the Midwest Literary Festival to the problems associated with the fiber-optic system the city is spending millions with major mistakes.

We have little faith in a Weisner crony, but we are willing to give Rick Mervine a chance to prove he is not going to be like other incompetent city council members like Leroy Keith from the 9th Ward that just go along with all the actions of Weisner that cost taxpayers and are against the best interests of the community.

If Rick Mervine votes to waste our money like Weisner wants, we and all of you will shred him. If he votes to protect taxpayers, we will and all of you should praise him.

It's his choice....it's your money.

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Weisner Wants to Run for Mayor of Aurora Again on Record of Wild Spending, Massive Tax Increases, Skyrocketing Debt, Deception and Corruption

Tom Weisner gets ready to run for Mayor of Aurora again to
face Rick Lawrence and Stephanie Kifowit for the future of Aurora

On May 22nd, Tom Weisner is going to try and pull a fast one on the people of Aurora as he will officially announce he will be running for Mayor again.

He will falsely claim credit for all kinds of things and duck responsibility for his incompetence, exploitation of taxpayers and lowering the credibility of the office he was entrusted with.

Weisner's record is clear. Taxes have increased to the highest levels from sales taxes to property taxes. Deception has run rampant from lies about the Planned Parenthood controversy to lies about "wildly important goals" to lies about costs for projects to enrich cronies like the police palace.

Wild spending has been so extensive that the City of Aurora has gone from spending $200-something million per year under Mayor David Stover to close to a HALF-BILLION DOLLARS per year under the Weisner debacle.

As just one example, the police palace cost has skyrocketed past one hundred million dollars of your money.

And there's that corruption. We don't just mean cronyism. We mean CORRUPTION. The kind that benefits the few at the expense of everyone else.

Even with Weisner's piles of money from his cronies like John "Cronyism" Cordogan, Dicky "the Sleazeball" Hawks, Raghuveer "Who Can I Buy?" Nayak, and a host of others, a recent confidential poll shows Weisner has deep problems getting re-elected and he is concerned that many of his supporters are defecting to other candidates.

Weisner's new campaign boytoy is Mike Wilson, part of Illinois Senate President Emil Jones strategy to run Aurora. The same type of people who have got state government into a bigger mess than anyone could have wanted.

Both Alderman Rick Lawrence and Alderman Stephanie Kifowit have previously announced they would run for Mayor of Aurora.

Lawrence said if people "like the taxes and spending" they will re-elect Tom, but "if not, they will elect me."

We are glad to see Weisner choose to run again. This is an opportunity for everyone who's watched the various debacles from the drive-in theater to the land scam to the pension scheme to Planned Parenthood to send Tom Weisner a loud and clear message.

However, with Weisner's announcement, also comes this reality. Weisner, along with his wife Marilyn, are dirty and negative political operatives. They have a track record of trying to harm people, intimidate people, threaten people, pressure people and force people to go along with them or not support others.

The election is in 2009.

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