“If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.”

“If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.” Those are the words of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC), a Roman philosopher who is widely considered one of the world’s greatest orators. The town of Cicero, Illinois was NOT named after him. It was named for the town of Cicero, New York which was named after the Roman statesman. Cicero, N.Y. has no history of scandal while that of Cicero, IL is legendary. Al Capone’s criminal empire flourished there when he left Chicago to avoid scrutiny of the police. The last Town President, Betty Loren-Maltese, was sent to federal prison for misappropriating city funds approximating $12 million. She recently was released but still owes $8 million in restitution for the money that she funneled from Cicero to a reputed mob boss. Loren-Maltese entered politics under the guidance of her late husband, former Cicero town assessor Frank “Baldy” Maltese, who was indicted on corruption charges in the early 1990s along with Rocco Infelice, reputed one-time boss of the Cicero mob. Maltese pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 1993 but died of cancer before going to prison.

Current Town President Larry Dominick was elected in 2005 with an education record that included only one year of classes at Morton Community College. In his re-election in 2009 incumbent Cicero Town President Larry Dominick easily won re-election even though challenger, Cicero Police Officer Roberto Garcia, had said that Dominick had become an “iron-fisted” leader that won re-election using similar tactics Cicero leaders have used for years, going back to the days of Al Capone. According to the Chicago Tribune, Cook County Clerk David Orr called in sheriff’s police to remove armed guards Dominick hired to stand inside Cicero polling locations.

In June 2009 Sharon Starzyk a Cicero worker in the town's Animal Welfare Department, alleged in a federal lawsuit that Cicero President Larry Dominick embarked on "an increasingly offensive course" of sexual harassment and sexual assault, which included explicit comments, groping and inappropriate touching. The lawsuit also alleged Dominick sent Starzyk lewd and sexually explicit text message and that Dominick "grabbed and squeezed her breasts" and in one case "picked her up by her crotch."

Former Cicero auxiliary police sergeant Janidet Lujano also accused Dominick of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching. Her lawsuit alleged Dominick repeatedly commented about her breasts, touched her inappropriately and made sexual comments about her mother.

The “highly educated” Dominick, in a videotaped deposition, denied all of the allegations, and dismissed the women's claims as "all a crock of shit.

So in this bastion of “respectability” what is the latest news? Last week Cicero trustees passed an ordinance that voted themselves the power to issue parking tickets. "The intent is to make our town a safer place for our families," said Fran Reitz, a trustee and the town collector. "This basically gives us more eyes on the street."

In a prepared statement, Town President Larry Dominick said the new ordinance will improve safety economically. "It's a good idea because all of the members of the board … spend a lot of their time monitoring the conditions in the town," he said. "They are aware of everything. This will help increase the response time and also crack down on motorists who violate parking and traffic laws but escape punishment.”

Town officials contend their motivation arises from civically responsible ideals: They want to reduce chronic parking congestion by placing seven more parking enforcement monitors on the street at no cost to taxpayers.

I agree with giving the trustees this added authority. As Jan D. Wolter said, “It's important to remember that just because there are crooks, zealots and morons supporting a position, it does not automatically follow that the position is wrong.” It is very simple why I am a proponent of giving additional authority to the trustees. “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” was written by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902) in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887. With their supplemental influence, one would guess given the history of corruption in the town, that the trustees would be prone to receive offers of bribes to quash tickets and inducements not to write them. How enticing to accept the proffers; how quickly a Federal investigation will follow.

While Marcus Tullius Cicero was not present at the banquet held on the Idea of March where Julius Caesar was assassinated, Brutus called out Cicero's name, asking him to "restore the Republic" when he lifted the bloodstained dagger after the assassination. Maybe this additional power to the Trustees will be the final thrust to restore the city of Cicero to honesty

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