Saturday, December 8, 2018

Major coverup on the eve of a Mayoral election

Toni Preckwinkle's former security chief alleges she fired him to save her mayoral campaign
The incompetence, corruption and outright lying by this self-styled socialist is unprecedented even in Chicago

As Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s security chief, Delwin Gadlen’s job was to protect her.

He spent two decades in Preckwinkle’s political orbit, at first volunteering with her campaigns and then for nearly the last eight years working on her executive security detail. But their relationship soured this fall when he was fired amid the fallout of a watchdog report stemming from a bizarre incident the morning after Election Day 2016. A Cook County SUV — nearly exclusively driven by Gadlen — was found vandalized and abandoned near southwest suburban Lemont. A cache of political materials was found inside.

The IG’s report on the incident, released in October, became a political hot potato for Preckwinkle — it’s illegal to use county vehicles for political campaigning — and Gadlen was fired.

Speaking publicly for the first time about the November 2016 incident and its aftermath, Gadlen told the Chicago Tribune that Preckwinkle unfairly ousted him to protect herself and her mayoral ambitions. Gadlen denies abandoning the car and said he has no idea who put the political materials in the vehicle.

“She fired me because it was expedient to get rid of me for her mayoral campaign,” Gadlen alleges.

READ MORE: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's security chief fired after review spurred by watchdog report »

Under the county’s ethics law, it’s illegal to use government property or resources for political activity. While Preckwinkle has denied authorizing such activity and has not been accused of wrongdoing, the incident could have political repercussions for her campaign.

Through her county spokeswoman, Becky Schlikerman, Preckwinkle did not answer an extensive list of detailed questions about Gadlen’s allegations and she declined an interview with the Tribune. Instead, Schlikerman released statements saying “individuals who are fired are not widely known to provide glowing comments about their previous employer” and calling Gadlen a “disgruntled former employee who was rightfully terminated.”

He was fired Nov. 1 after an internal review’s initial assessment of the security detail’s operations found that a change in leadership was warranted, Schlikerman said.

Gadlen said he first realized his job was in danger on Oct. 5, when he received a call from a Preckwinkle staffer asking him to come in for a meeting about Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard’s investigation into the abandoned SUV incident.

Delwin Gadlen, a former security chief for Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle, stands Nov. 30, 2018, outside the school he attended in his old neighborhood on the West Side. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)

Gadlen said he raced to the Mellow Yellow restaurant in Hyde Park, where Preckwinkle was having a morning meeting, to privately ask her: Would he be fired? According to Gadlen’s account, Preckwinkle hesitated, said no and directed him to give a staff member his response to Blanchard’s findings. In hindsight, Gadlen recalled, her answer seemed noncommittal.

“She said, ‘Well, Delwin, you can always go back to Chicago (police). You’re on a leave of absence and once I become mayor, I’ll be in a better position to help you,’ ” according to Gadlen.

Gadlen said he did not quit that day or two weeks later, when Preckwinkle personally requested his resignation, because he doesn’t believe he did “anything wrong.”

Gadlen’s account does not solve two key unanswered questions — who was driving the SUV the night in question and how did the political materials supporting Preckwinkle allies get in the vehicle? Nevertheless, his first public remarks offer a look at how he says Preckwinkle has managed an embarrassing political crisis that has dogged her mayoral campaign and leadership of county government.

Records Gadlen released also show Preckwinkle used her political campaign fund to pay for his legal fees in connection with the inspector general’s investigation.

Preckwinkle’s mayoral campaign released a statement about the campaign expense, noting she supported the IG investigation and her priority “was to ensure their investigation was thorough and complete.” Schlikerman later said that Gadlen personally asked for Preckwinkle’s help and she agreed.
‘Mother figure’

Born on the West Side and raised by a single mother, Gadlen lived in the ABLA Homes, he said. Gadlen, 45, attended Dunbar High School and later graduated from Chicago State and St. Xavier universities, personnel records show.

In the 1990s, Gadlen lived in an apartment complex near 34th and Cottage Grove with his first wife. Gadlen began volunteering with Preckwinkle, then a member of the Chicago City Council, around 1998 after someone suggested he get to know his alderman if he wanted to become a police officer.

An SUV assigned to Toni Preckwinkle’s security was abandoned near suburban Lemont after the 2016 election. (Cook County sheriff's office)

“I wanted someone to give me a recommendation,” Gadlen said, adding that Preckwinkle did not help him become a police officer three years later.

Over the years, Gadlen said, he kept volunteering with Preckwinkle, and she asked him to be her security chief after becoming County Board president. He took a leave from the department to take the job.

Gadlen said he came to see Preckwinkle, 71, as a “mother figure” and the security detail as “family.”

On Election Day 2016, Gadlen took a personal day off work and picked up Preckwinkle at her home in his personal vehicle. He drove her to see a busload of volunteers headed to Iowa to support Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, he said.

READ MORE: Toni Preckwinkle's administration mostly redacts report that led to security chief’s firing »

Throughout the day, Preckwinkle visited polling sites and a church. Gadlen said he went to pick up a county vehicle as he planned to accompany her to two events she had in her capacity as the County Board president: An interview with WGN Radio at Tribune Tower and a victory party for ex-Preckwinkle chief of staff Kim Foxx in celebration of her ascension to state’s attorney.

They stayed downtown until “probably close to 11:30,” Gadlen said, and then he dropped her off at home. Preckwinkle told Blanchard’s investigators she was home around 9:30 p.m.

A schedule released by Cook County and Gadlen, however, shows she had planned to be with WGN and Foxx’s party until 11:30 p.m. The administration did not address the Tribune’s questions about what time she actually went home.

Political materials, including some for Kim Foxx, were found in the abandoned SUV. (Cook County sheriff's office)

Days before, a county-owned Chevrolet Tahoe used by the security team was left parked outside another security detail member’s Orland Park home, as employees sometimes rotated vehicles based on logistical needs, Gadlen and the employee told the IG. It was still parked at the employee’s home on election night, the employee told the IG.

About 12:30 a.m. Nov. 9, a citizen called the sheriff’s office and reported that vehicle being abandoned in mud on a street near Lemont. The caller also reported seeing a person walking near the vehicle, officials said.

Gadlen said he didn’t know anything was wrong until 2:15 a.m., when he got a call from the sheriff’s office asking if he knew where the vehicle was and informing him it was found near Lemont. Experts later said the damage seemed staged.

“I said I didn’t authorize anyone to remove the vehicle from where it was in Orland Park so I said, at this point, the vehicle is stolen,” Gadlen said.

Gadlen said he has no idea who stole the vehicle and crashed it. His timeline — having driven a different vehicle with Preckwinkle that evening — clears him as a suspect, he said.

He also said he doesn’t know how the political materials, which included a button with Preckwinkle’s face on it, handouts promoting Foxx’s candidacy and sample ballots, wound up in the vehicle.

“I can definitely say the materials weren’t mine,” Gadlen added. “I did not know the bags were in the back of the truck either.”

READ MORE: Abandoned Preckwinkle security SUV held campaign materials promoting now-State's Attorney Kim Foxx »

Preckwinkle has said she rarely used the county vehicle and denied she allowed it to be used for political campaigning. She also has denied knowing how the materials ended up in the vehicle and said she did not allow county resources to be used for political campaigning.

During the subsequent investigation, Gadlen said, he told Preckwinkle several times the materials found in the SUV were not his.

“I’m not the committeeman. I’m not the machine, the Cook County Democratic chairperson. Why would I carry around bags of candidates’ political material? It doesn’t benefit me,” Gadlen said he told her. “She said, ‘No, no, no. I know, Delwin.’ … In other words, she knew the stuff wasn’t mine.”
Legal fees paid

Cook County sheriff’s investigators referred the situation to Blanchard, who issued a much-publicized report in October and is working on a follow-up.

For the initial report, Gadlen told Blanchard the materials may have been “planted,” leading to criticism from incredulous county commissioners when the report was published.

Looking back, Gadlen said, he was being “facetious” and “sarcastic” because the investigators were aggressive. For his second interview, Gadlen said he asked to be represented by county lawyers but was rebuffed.


Gadlen said he eventually hired Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona to represent him and said Preckwinkle’s campaign paid the tab. State campaign records and a signed copy of Preckwinkle’s campaign check shows her campaign paid the firm more than $4,000 in July.

In a statement released by her mayoral campaign, Preckwinkle said “Delwin was a longtime employee whose job was to protect me — often doing so off county time. He approached me for assistance and I wanted to support that if it would help get all the facts out. This was not at taxpayers’ expense.”

The campaign also released a statement from attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer defending Preckwinkle’s use of the campaign funds as “lawful and appropriate,” noting she was “not conducting the investigation nor a subject of it.”
Crisis mode

When Blanchard publicly released his findings on Oct. 15, Gadlen said, Preckwinkle called him into her office for a “heads-up” that she’d be releasing a statement. He read the statement, which mentioned a review of the security detail’s operations without defending him. Shortly after, Gadlen said, she called him back and told him he should take off the rest of the week to avoid media attention.

Two days later, after a County Board meeting and news conference, Gadlen said she called him again and they talked for about half an hour, he said. By the end, Gadlen said he volunteered to accept a reprimand or a suspension.

“That’s what my job is … (to) take one for the team,” Gadlen recalled. “She is the team. To protect her, I’ll take that.”

Preckwinkle thanked him, Gadlen said, but called back two days later following more reporting on the situation. “She said, ‘Delwin, I need to ask you for your resignation because the story is not going away,’ ” Gadlen said.

He said he was upset and complained that staff did not involve him in a response. He also disputed that he had been negligent and said he wouldn’t resign.

“I said, ‘I’m not going to,’ ” Gadlen said, adding that he told her he was disappointed in the lack of support.

On Oct. 26, the county completed its initial review, though Preckwinkle officials have only released heavily redacted findings.
Another plea

Gadlen wrote Preckwinkle a handwritten letter dated Oct. 27 pleading his case. In the letter, released by the county, Gadlen twice notes that he doesn’t want to embarrass Preckwinkle.

“Toni, the truth is that I care very much about you!” he wrote.


But, Gadlen said, he also has the right to defend his “character, integrity and professionalism.” Gadlen disputed what he says is Cook County’s response that he was negligent as unfair and also says a staffer’s claim that he declined a two-week suspension is “absolutely untrue!”

“To conclude, I have known you for 20 years and have served you for the past almost eight years with dignity, professionalism and integrity,” Gadlen said, noting his desire to remain on the job.

He also provided responses to Blanchard and a timeline of the night in question. Preckwinkle’s administration released almost completely redacted versions of those documents. but Gadlen and his attorney, Michael P. Cohen, shared unredacted versions with the Tribune.

In his response, Gadlen says the investigation was “flawed” and “politically motivated,” and that the sheriff’s office failed to thoroughly investigate the crime of the stolen vehicle and its vandalism.

Since his firing, Gadlen said he feels “betrayed.”

“I never would’ve thought she would … step on a little man to accomplish her goal (of) running for mayor,” Gadlen said.

Readers, decide for yourselves, who is telling the truth. 

12 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/08/2018

    Team PP suck!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12/08/2018

    Oh Heavens, she’s sexy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12/08/2018

    What about Kim Foxx?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12/08/2018

    Theres lies, more lies and damed lies.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous12/08/2018

    kind of reminds me of James Earl Jones...don't ask me why

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous12/08/2018

    I actually don't know who I dream about more in a sexual manner between tony or maxine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12/09/2018

      Maxine has that smooth leathery complexion, kind of like a comfortable pair of old shoes

      Delete
  7. Anonymous12/08/2018

    Good then she can pull out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12/09/2018

      She isn’t backing out. No way, no how. Scary lady.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous12/09/2018

    How is it that she got elected in the 1st place? How does she get reelected? Then they gave her the chairmanship of the dem party! Nobody objected! Failure of leadership across the board? Wimps! Need term limits in order to protect ourselves from such tyrants.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12/09/2018

    Will she give me a kick back city job? If not I’ll stay with my county job.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous12/09/2018

    "Gadlen, 45, attended Dunbar High School and later graduated from Chicago State and St. Xavier universities, personnel records show."

    ReplyDelete