Schaumburg mayoral candidate calls for campaign finance reform

Schaumburg mayoral candidate Brian Costin is calling for reform of the village's campaign donation rules in light of the recent criminal indictment of an Inverness businessman who's previously donated to Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson's campaign fund.

But the specific reform Costin is asking for would still not prohibit himself, Larson or any other village candidate from accepting money from William Degironemo, the indicted owner of Schaumburg-based Alpha Communications.

Costin is calling for full transparency of all contracts and subcontracts for the village-owned Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, and a ban on candidates accepting campaign money from any such contractor.

But according to village and convention center officials, neither Degironemo nor his company has ever done business with either entity.

Larson said his only association with Degironemo is that Alpha Communications bought ads in his annual fundraising booklet totaling $675 between 2004 and 2007. He vowed to donate the same amount to charity if Degironemo is found guilty of the charges, which relate to bid-rigging on work at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

Larson said he has no say over who is awarded contracts at the convention center, and those who make those decisions would have no knowledge of who bought ads in his fundraising booklet.

"What I think this amounts to is the continuation of Brian Costin's smear campaign against me," Larson said. "This is probably indicative of the kind of campaign he's going to run for village president. So this guy (Degironemo) got indicted. What does that have to do with me?"

Village Manager Ken Fritz said he could personally attest to the separation of policy and politics in Schaumburg.

"I've been here 25 years and the mayor has never come forward with a suggestion that a business be given preferential treatment," Fritz said. "Brian Costin is looking for connections that don't exist."

Costin is also asking the village to enact a policy prohibiting any business that does work for the village from contributing to village political campaigns.

Fritz said he doesn't believe the village has the authority to make such changes to the election code. He added that Marriott, which runs the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, hires its own subcontractors and has the right as a private company to name them publicly or not.

Larson said he personally disagreed with any policy that would prohibit people from donating to the political campaigns of their choice.

"That's not illegal in this country yet," he said.

Costin announced his intention in January to challenge Larson, who has been mayor since 1987, in the 2011 mayoral race.