Thank you Chicago Tribune Laurie Cohen/Gary Washburn

City supervisor is found not guilty of politicking on the job
Published May 4, 2007
A city supervisor charged with passing nominating petitions for Mayor Richard Daley’s re-election campaign on city time has been found not guilty by a Cook County judge.
Lester Cioch, a $39.65-an-hour assistant foreman of sewer cleaning and precinct captain for the 32nd Ward Democratic Organization, was charged shortly before the February municipal election with violating state and city ethics laws that prohibit public employees from doing political work while on the clock.
At a bench trial April 20 before Cook County Circuit Judge William O’Malley, prosecutors played Cioch’s taped confession and co-workers testified that he asked them to sign petitions on city property during work.
In finding Cioch not guilty of the misdemeanor charges, O’Malley said prosecutors had been unable to find the petitions Cioch had circulated. Daley’s campaign had said the petitions were not submitted to election officials.
The judge also questioned whether the state law applied to city workers, said John Gorman, a spokesman for Cook County State’s Atty. Richard Devine.
Cioch is on paid administrative leave while city officials review his employment status.
I will comment on this at a later time. Patrick McDonough