East Dundee village president slammed for letting Darren Bailey speak at Oktoberfest
Dundee Township Democrats are criticizing East Dundee Village President Dan Pearson for allowing Republican candidates, including gubernatorial contender Darren Bailey, to speak at the village-sponsored Oktoberfest this weekend.
The organization charged that Pearson and Bailey, whose appearance at the event was captured on video posted on social media, violated state election laws. The East Dundee Village Board was urged to take action to censure Pearson for his actions.
Illinois law states that “no public funds shall be used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or proposition, or be appropriated for political or campaign purposes to any candidate or political organization.”
Violators could be charged with a class B criminal misdemeanor, the law says.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser confirmed her office received a complaint about the incident.
Bailey was one of two Republican candidates invited by Pearson to the stage to give a political speech. The other, according to social media posts, was Jennifer Davis, who is running for the 8th District Congressional seat but is not seen in the video.
“While it is not our position to tell a village what they can or cannot do, our municipal codes and elections laws do,” Dundee Township Democrats Chairman Chris Kious said in an email to The Courier-News. “It is our opinion that it is inappropriate to have overtly one-sided political campaigning in a publicly funded venue that is advertised as an entertainment event.”
In the video, Pearson speaks from the Oktoberfest stage about how the village is struggling with its water infrastructure and will have to pay $20 million to replace water lines, sharing that other officials he met with at the Illinois Municipal League conference in Chicago last week were facing similar problems. A photo of Pearson and Bailey at the event appears on his “East Dundee Village President Daniel Pearson” Facebook page.
“Whether you like politics or not, it affects all of us,” Pearson said.
In introducing Bailey, he said the village needs strong leadership on the state level.
Bailey’s comments referenced the upcoming election in November, and he solicited attendees’ votes.
“I think everyone would agree with me that things have gotten a little difficult over the last eight years,” he said. “I think we need a change. I would be honored to have your vote and your support as we turn Illinois around and make it more affordable to stay here, to live here, to make our communities beautiful.”
Bailey went on to list other campaign goals, including fixing Illinois schools and getting rid of the SAFE-T Act, which, among other things, did away with cash bail.
“I need your vote. Let’s vote and turn Illinois around and make it great again,” he said.
In the video, Pearson can be seen approaching Bailey after his appearance and asking him, “Can I get the president’s number when you win? That would be kind of cool.”
Pearson did not return phone calls seeking comment, but the village of East Dundee released a statement Monday about the incident.
“Neither Mr. Bailey, nor any other political candidate was specifically invited to attend Oktoberfest by the village, any member of village staff or any village elected official. Oktoberfest was open to all members of the public and widely advertised. As a result, some political candidates and elected officials independently chose to attend,” the statement read.
“(The village) does not endorse any candidate for local, state or federal office. Any statements made by Village President Pearson in connection with the introduction of Mr. Bailey, or any other political candidate, do not reflect the views or the position of the village of East Dundee, the Village Board of Trustees or village staff.”
Bailey’s campaign did not respond to questions about why the candidate was at the event or came to speak at it.
There are prohibitions in state election rules pertaining to using public resources to promote specific candidates or ballot referenda, said Matt Dietrich, spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Elections.
While he could not comment specifically on what occurred in East Dundee, Dietrich said the state board would hold a hearing on any complaint filed to its office. If it finds state laws were violated, the board could send the complaint and accompanying evidence to the local state’s attorney’s office, he said.
The state board doesn’t have enforcement powers over election fraud or election interference, Dietrich said. Those types of cases are handled by local prosecutors as criminal violations, he said.
The village statement made it clear that Oktoberfest is not supposed to be used as a “political rally or campaign event” but as a “community celebration for all residents of the village of East Dundee and visitors.”
Melissa Rajcevich, a member of the Dundee Township Democrats executive board, was not at the event but watched the video.
“I’m not surprised at Dan Pearson because this is honestly what I expect of him,” Rajcevich said. “What is shocking is that (Darren) Bailey and everyone else was OK with it.
“These people are looking to be put in office, and they know the law. They know where they should be and where they shouldn’t be, and what they were doing is illegal. They did it anyway.”
However, Rajcevich said she doesn’t feel the incident should be investigated as a crime.
“I have confidence the (village) trustees will censure him,” she said. “I think he has proven time and time again that he is incredibly inappropriate. I really hope he is aware of what he did and the trustees make him aware of how serious it is, and we go from there.
“The damage has been done,” she said, noting that the election is four weeks away.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.