Oberweis blasts Lauzen for hiring GOP chairman
BY DAVE PARRO
While the Kane County Republican Party's executive committee considers whether to ask the GOP county chairman to resign because he's working for congressional candidate Chris Lauzen, Jim Oberweis' camp is wasting no time in trying to take advantage of the potential conflict of interest.
In a press release with the headline "Lauzen buys county chairman," Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe calls for Dennis Wiggins' resignation because he took a $5,000-a-month job with Lauzen's campaign. Pascoe accuses Wiggins of selling himself to the highest bidder, approaching Oberweis' campaign with a $10,000 figure.
Pascoe claims Oberweis refused to hire Wiggins -- "believing it just wasn't the right thing to do." Wiggins, however, says Oberweis actually asked him what it would take to get him on board with his campaign but then never came back with an offer after Wiggins threw out a number.
The press release also takes aim at Lauzen:
What this episode says about Chris Lauzen, though, is worse -- it says that Lauzen has been in Springfield too long. Fifteen years in the midst of the George Ryan-Rod Blago! jevich mindset has apparently infected Chris, and led him to buy into the notion that it's appropriate to buy people off. 'Put them on the payroll' is the battle cry of the Establishment Insiders, and that's trouble -- because when the Insiders get together in their back rooms to scratch each other's backs, it's always the taxpayers who get stuck with the bill.
That's an obvious attempt to destroy Lauzen's reputation as a political outsider who doesn't bow to the will of the party. Lauzen says he approached Wiggins, not the other way around, because the two go back two decades, and Wiggins can help him at the grass-roots township level. Lauzen also said he is not ashamed to be a Republican, despite some of his battles with his own party.
Oberweis is claiming the moral high ground here, but Wiggins seems to be implying that Oberweis would have hired him if the price was right. Kevin Burns must be sitting back and enjoying this battle, knowing that an all-out brawl between Lauzen and Oberweis could help him win the Republican nomination in the 14th Congressional District.
Comments
This should be a surprise to no one.
Chris "15 years and nothing to show for it" Lauzen whines about Oberwies' money, then goes on his own irresponsible spending spree.
Make no mistake: Elect Lauzen and this is what you'll get - lies and deceit.
Not than I'm endorsing "Bored" Jim Oberweis.
Your man is Kevin Burns.
Posted by: Chris | November 2, 2007 06:51 PM