Accusations fly over 44th District campaign mailer

State Rep. Fred Crespo on Sunday denied any involvement with a campaign mailer insulting the Latino heritage of his opponent, Ramiro Juarez, and instead blamed the Republican's own camp.

Juarez said the flier, which depicts him operating a lawn mower and refers to him as the "son of another illegal immigrant," was so distressing that he stopped campaigning earlier than planned Sunday because he felt ill.

"It just turns my stomach even thinking about it," the Streamwood resident said. "I am angry my dad saw that piece because he's worked his butt off in this country, he raised all of us to work hard and do our best."

Juarez said he believes the mailer was sent out by the Crespo campaign, accusing the Democrat from Hoffman Estates of running a negative campaign.

"I didn't think Fred would be that nasty," Juarez said. "I don't think this is going to help him win Hispanic voters."

But Crespo believes the Juarez campaign sent the mailers out to discredit him.

"This is a personal attack on me to say that I would say that," said Crespo, adding that he intends to ask Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to investigate the mailer. "In no way do I feel that way."

The only organization named on the campaign mailers is "People for Fred Crespo," which is different from Crespo's campaign organization called Citizens for Crespo. "People for Fred Crespo" is not registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Over the weekend Crespo and his supporters - including his wife, Dorothy Crespo, and Attorney General Lisa Madigan - sent out a series of robocalls saying the mailer was falsely attributed to the his campaign.

Hanover Park Village President Rodney Craig backed Crespo's contentions Sunday. He said he visited Juarez at his office Saturday and confronted him about the mailer. Juarez, he said, blamed the flier on a volunteer working for his campaign.

"He said, 'It's (a campaign volunteer), he's out of control,'" Craig said.

State election record show Craig made donations totaling $700 to Crespo's campaign in 2010 and 2011, but he said he has no role in this year's campaign.

Juarez denied making that statement to Craig and blamed the accusation on bad blood between the Hanover Park mayor and the volunteer.

The 44th District race is a rematch of the 2012 contest in which Crespo easily defeated Juarez. The district includes parts of Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg and Streamwood.