Calandriello calls out Republican Mega-Donors Griffin and Uihlein for trying to influence election, buying seats on the Cook County Board
Beleaguered GOP incumbent Sean Morrison refuses League of Women Voters Palos/Orland Area invitation to debate, electing to hide behind his political donations and false political attacks
Candidate for the 17th District of the Cook County Board, Daniel Calandriello, is speaking out publicly about recent donations from campaign committees controlled by Republican Mega-Donors Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein to his opponent, incumbent Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison.
In September campaign disclosures, Morrison reported receipt of $200,000 from billionaire hedge fund mogul Ken Griffin’s “The Coalition to Cut Taxes”.
With this contribution and other Republican Mega-Donors, Morrison heavily leads in fundraising. Calandriello is trailing fundraising based on his reliance on the support of small dollar donors.
On the recent infusion of cash towards Morrison, Calandriello states, “With the recent donations from Griffin and Uihlien, we once again see Republican Mega-Donors and dark money seeping into local campaigns. As is well known, figures like Griffin and Uihlien are against women’s and workers’ rights and common-sense gun legislation. They put profits over people. By accepting such large contributions from these figures, Sean Morrison is sending a clear message to voters that he answers to special interests rather than the people he serves.”
Calandriello continued, “To date my opponent has denied any knowledge of the actual source of the $200,000 cash infusion into his campaign and has declined requests to participate in the League of Women Voters Palos Orland Area Forum. I encourage voters to look deeply into Morrison and his background to learn about the lies that he spreads, mistruths that he speaks and the failures of his office to address problems facing our district. My opponent wants to continue to hide behind false mailers sent out by his Campaign paid by Mega-Donors. Don’t take my word for it, Former Police Chief Timothy McCarthy has publicly called out these mailers as false, in particular about my record on funding and supporting the Orland Park Police Department.”
Morrison, a Palos Park resident, was appointed in 2015 to the board by local Republican insiders after the resignation of Elizabeth Liz Doody-Gorman.
Morrison narrowly won reelection in a hotly contested election against Democrat Abdelnasser Rashid, who exposed Morrison’s record of employing a convicted sex offender and pedophile at his private security company and his personal and business tax issues.
The 17th district of the Cook County Board extends across the western half of the county, stretching from Orland to Elk Grove Townships. The election takes place on November 8, with in-person early voting starting October 24.
Calandriello is a former Orland Park Trustee and Cook County Prosecutor. He resides in Orland Park with his wife and three small children.
Calandriello’s platform includes creating safer communities, protecting and growing local businesses, and investing in local infrastructure. Interested readers can find more information about Calandriello and his campaign by visiting danforcook.com or emailing info @danforcook.com.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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