State's attorney may testify about former secretary's accusations
McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi may be called before a judge next week to respond to claims he had a former personal secretary perform campaign duties while on county time.
A lawyer for former Bianchi secretary Amy Dalby said Friday he will subpoena the state's attorney as a potential witness in a Sept. 4 hearing on her request for a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations.
"I'm going to ask him whether he did these things," Dalby attorney Wesley Pribla said.
Bianchi said he would appear in court if ordered by a judge.
"If the court orders me to testify, then I will testify," he said.
Dalby, Bianchi's personal secretary in 2004 and 2005, is asking for a special prosecutor to look into her claims her former boss unlawfully required her to do campaign-related work on the taxpayers' dime. She alleges that, among other tasks, she typed letters to Bianchi's political supporters, created campaign donor lists and set up tables for a fundraising dinner.
Bianchi, a second-term Republican from Crystal Lake, repeatedly has denied the allegations.
On Friday, Judge Gordon Graham scheduled a long-awaited hearing on Dalby's request, as well as a similar petition from Woodstock attorney Daniel Regna. The request from Regna, who unsuccessfully challenged Bianchi in a heated 2008 GOP primary, mirrors Dalby's claims.
Graham did not indicate whether he would rule on the requests based only on affidavits filed by Dalby and Regna, as well as related court documents, or whether he wants to hear testimony from any of the key players.
Also Friday, attorneys confirmed that the McHenry County Board will have a lawyer represent its interests in the case. If Graham orders a special prosecutor investigation, the county would be on the hook for its costs.
In a letter to Graham, County Board Chairman Ken Koehler said board members discussed the case last week and their consensus was to retain the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor's office, which has agreed to represent the county free of charge.
"Right now we're just sitting back and waiting to hear what comes forward in the next hearing," Koehler said Friday.
Dalby, 24, was sentenced to court supervision earlier this year after admitting guilt to a misdemeanor computer tampering charge for removing thousands of computer files from the state's attorney's office when she left her job to attend college. A special prosecutor who investigated her said she then turned them over to Bianchi's political rivals, though Dalby claims she took the files to prove she performed campaign duties on county time.