Moraine Candidate Responds to Robo Call Describing Arrest Record

A campaign robo call went out last week detailing the arrest record of Palos Park-based architect John Schiera, who is running for the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees in April, and also targeted Orland Park trustee Brad O’Halloran for endorsing him.

The call featured a woman talking who described four misdemeanor arrests, two of which were domestic battery charges, against Schiera. Though according to the Chicago Tribune, all four were dropped when witnesses didn’t show for court hearings. People who received the call said it ends with “paid for by,” but is cut off before a name is said.

“The bottom line is you can charge anyone with anything,” Schiera said in response to the robo call. “In each one of those cases, when it came time to go to court, all were dismissed. Each one of them. There’s nothing more that can be said about that.”

The charges include two for domestic battery, where in one he was accused of pushing a woman through a glass door and hitting her twice in the face, according to the Tribune report.

He was also charged with battery, and said that involved a situation where he poked an off-duty officer in the chest who tailed him home and was yelling at him, according to the Tribune.

“It’s sad that someone has gone to this length to get a political office,” Schiera said.

Brad O’Halloran, who is running for his sixth term on the Orland Park Village Board, endorsed Schiera in his Patch questionnaire, and said he knew nothing of Schiera’s past charges.

“I’ve been a trustee for 20 years and in that time I don’t remember anything as nasty, as misleading and dirty in any municipal election,” O’Halloran said. “To make that leap, because of a one-line endorsement in Patch, that I’d be in favor of domestic violence against women is ludicrous, tragic and cowardly. This makes people question why they would want to step up to public service.”

Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman ran her own robo call in Orland Park last week endorsing O’Halloran, describing him as “one of our most respected public officials that we are lucky to have serving the community,” while denouncing the earlier robo call referring to Schiera.

“The reckless individual didn’t even identify themselves, which lends no credibility to these inflammatory remarks,” Gorman said in the call. “Let’s send a message that this type of negativity is unwelcome in Orland Park.”

Gorman ends the message by saying that she paid for her call to endorse O’Halloran.

Looking for more election stories?

• District 230 School Board: A Pair of Incumbents Face 6 Challengers for 4 Seats

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