Does Alderman Gardiner’s consigliere vote in the 45th Ward while living in the 38th?
If you’ve followed our previous stories (here, here, and here) about the Six Corners Special Service Area (SSA #28), then you know local Six Corners business owner Joe Angelastri is a central figure in the machinations to take over the quasi-governmental SSA #28 Commission and to award the $300,000 2021 service provider contract to the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce, an organization founded and managed by Angelastri.
From left to right: Joe Angelastri, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and 45th Ward Alderman Jim Gardiner
Public records now raise questions about whether Angelastri misrepresented his residency status to cast his vote in the 45th Ward while living in the 38th Ward.
According to the Chicago Board of Elections website, Angelastri registered to vote at his City News Cafe business address, 4018 N Cicero, in the 45th Ward. State law requires voters to register where they live. According to several public records, including loan documents and his Cook County Homeowner Exemption, Angelastri resides on the 5300 block of West Cuyler, in the 38th Ward. To obtain a Homeowner Exemption, one must attest and affirm the property address is your “principal residence”.
When registering to vote, voters must sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury attesting they live at the address given, as shown on this City of Chicago voter registration form:
We do not know how many elections Angelastri has cast votes based on his business address, but we do know for certain that he did so in 2020.
In similar cases in Illinois, previous cases of “false registration” — registering to vote at an address other than your residence — have led to guilty pleas to perjury.
Making a false statement on this affidavit is a Class 3 felony, according to Illinois Election Code.
This incident adds to questions previously raised about Angelastri. Chicago Department of Planning & Development (DPD) records and emails show a documented history of complaints and allegations from colleagues about Angelastri’s behavior, ranging from publicly undermining their work, to unauthorized expenditures and contract hires, to changing peoples passwords to access financial systems, to secretly installing cameras to monitor employees.
At the time of this writing, the SSA #28 Commission has voted to recommend that the City award the 2021 SSA #28 sole service provider contract to Angelastri’s Six Corners Chamber of Commerce. This would give Angelastri’s Chamber control over a $300,000 annual taxpayer funded budget to hire various subcontractors to deliver services to the Six Corners area. The matter is currently before the Committee on Economic, Capital, and Technology Development, meeting Monday, December 14th at 9am.
When contacted via email to explain the discrepancies in his residency status, Angelastri replied but declined to comment.
