Domestic Battery Accusations Surrounding Welch Resurface
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West Cook News Maywood, Bellwood, Forest Park, River Forest, Westchester, Broadview, Hillside Week of March 6-12, 2016 www.westcooknews.com SPECIAL REPORT INSIDE Domestic battery accusations surrounding Welch resurface State Pension Rules Soaking Illinois Taxpayers How much are you paying? House More candidate leaving slams rival’s than school-board settling record BY KERRY GOFF in Illinois Chris Harris, Democratic House candidate for Dis- trict 7, is heavily criticizing BY JOHN BRESLIN ILLINOIS BUSINESS DAILY State Rep. Emanuel Illinois remains among “Chris” the top five states with more Welch for people leaving than arriv- his actions ing to settle, ranking third, as presi- behind New Jersey and New dent of the Proviso York, in the 39th annual Police report: Woman alleged State Rep. Chris Welch slammed her head into kitchen countertop. Movers Study by United Van High School District Lines. Victim ‘extremely scared’ according to 2002 police report The survey tracked the 209 school countrywide migration pat- board, and and he was subsequently re- Harris terns of customers through BY LOCALLABS NEWS SERVICE said people leased from custody, accord- like Welch 2015 and found that 63 per- ing to the report. cent of all moves in Illinois are “vampires” and “detri- State Rep. Chris Welch (D- Welch denied the incident mental to our schools.” involved people leaving the IL) was arrested in 2002 by to Hillside Police, saying state, the fifth time in seven In response to a question- the Village of Hillside Police that the victim had been naire by the Chicago Tribune years the state has ranked for alleged domestic battery “crying over their breakup in the top five of outbound questioning how the state of his girlfriend at the time, and shortly after called the school-aid formula should be movers. according to documents ob- police.” He claimed he nei- The Illinois figure is in revised, Harris said it’s quite tained by West Cook News. ther grabbed her by the hair simple – use state funds to contrast to Oregon’s, which A police report dated Jan. nor slammed her head on topped the list for inbound educate students and stick to 12, 2002, by lead respond- the kitchen countertop. the rules. migration, with 69 percent ing officer James Peterson Peterson interviewed the moving to the state. “My opponent is the said the reporting victim victim four days later. He former, longtime school- The survey found that the told him that, “during a said she showed him a four- top reasons for moving to Or- board president of that verbal altercation,” Welch inch bruise on her right district (209),” Harris said egon were a new job or com- “grabbed her hair with both arm. pany transfer, 53 percent; in the questionnaire. “As the hands while in the kitchen “She further reported Tribune has written many and wanting to be closer to and proceeded to slam her that the bruise was the re- family, 20 percent. The study stories about in the past, he head backwards several Chris Welch sult of being grabbed by Mr. abused the district and put ranks as high those states times on the countertop.” Welch,” Peterson said. “She posting a figure of 55 percent the students last — he used The woman declined telling Welch he was a ‘los- said that she debated report- or more, either inbound or to hand out no-bid contracts medical attention, accord- er,’” Peterson said. ing the bruise to police and outbound. to his buddies, did patronage ing to the report, but she “At that point, Welch be- that when I called her, she Todd Maisch, president hirings and used taxpayer did say she wanted to “sign came enraged and grabbed decided to report it to me. At of the Illinois Chamber dollars to pay his own person- complaints for domestic her hair with both hands this time, she again decided of Commerce, told Illinois al legal bills. It got so bad, the battery.” and slammed her head not to sign a complaint.” Business Daily there are state had to step in and over- Welch, who represents backwards on the counter- Reporter Bill Dwyer multiple reasons why people see the district’s finances.” parts of River Forest, Forest top multiple times. After- wrote on the Forest Park Fo- decide to move, including According to a March 8, Park, Maywood, Broadview, wards, he let her hair go and rums message board that he the weather. But, “there is a 2012, Chicago Sun-Times Bellwood, Hillside, West- backed away. filed a Freedom of Informa- sense that Illinois’ economy report, Welch hired up to 19 chester, La Grange Park and “(The victim) attempt- tion request for the report is not growing as rapidly close friends and relatives Berkeley, was first elected ed to leave the residence with the Village of Hillside, as it should and that job while he was president of the in 2012. through the front door and but they improperly denied prospects are not as good as Proviso High School District “Immediately after this, then the rear door but was it. He had to appeal the elsewhere,” Maisch said. 209 school board, including a (Welch) exited the home,” blocked by Welch with his Illinois Attorney General Maisch said that studies $56,000 janitorial job for his Peterson said. “I asked the body. Not knowing what to obtain a copy, but did not show people believe job pros- brother, Billy Welch, and a victim if that was in fact else to do, she attempted to receive it until after Welch pects are better in right-to- $90,000 foreman job for the the offender and was told use the phone to call police. had won the 2012 Democrat- work states, those that limit best man at his wedding, Ron yes. I immediately advised Welch then prevented her ic primary. the ability of workers to “R.C.” Anderson. (Welch) to turn around and from doing that also. Dwyer’s editors at Forest organize through unions. It was also discovered that that he was being placed “Now, being extremely Leaves declined to pursue “There are multiple rea- 13 of the 19 relatives and under arrest.” scared because of his ac- the story.“Pioneer editors sons, but one of the things friends hired at District 209 According to the report, tions, (the victim) ran again wanted to move on after the that jumps out is that people had contributed to Welch’s the incident started as a to the back door and began primary election, which, are moving south, to right-to- political campaign, with 10 “verbal argument.” The screaming for help. Running while frustrating for me, work states,” Maisch said. of the employees having ties victim “related that she is around the home (Welch) was the proper thing to do The chamber supports with Rob Serpico, Melrose no longer in a relationship then was able to grab a as a newspaper,” Dwyer Gov. Bruce Rauner’s turna- Park’s controversial mayor. with the home owner, Ema- phone and run out the front said. round agenda, a list of meas- “Vampires like this, that nuel C. Welch … and was door to call police.” “The election was ures the governor claims move in and take over school here to retrieve some of her After speaking with over.”Hillside Village Man- will make Illinois more boards — as we are seeing belongings.” Welch’s stepmother, the ager Joseph Tamburino business friendly. Rauner’s a lot of these days — is “During this verbal argu- victim decided not to pursue was an early supporter of insistence on pushing for what is most detrimental to ment, (the victim) admitted a complaint against him, Welch’s political career. nonbudget measures, such our schools,” Harris said. as reforms to collective bar- gaining, is part of the reason for the budget impasse in the state, the governor’s opponents, including Illinois House Speaker Michael Ma- Chicago Tribune ‘strongly’ endorses digan, said. “I think that growing the economy has to be part of Harris in Dist. 7 state House race the long-term solution to Il- BY VIMBAI CHIKOMO Welch tract warehouse offering paydays for all linois’ economic problems,” came under of the donors and city leaders that prop Maisch said. “If there is not The Chicago Tribune has endorsed fire when a it up. It irked me more when the person economic growth, we are not House District 7 candidate Chris Harris 2012 Chicago who ran the District 209 school board going to generate enough in his run against incumbent Emanuel Sun-Times into the ground, to the point where tax. The unemployment “Chris” Welch. report said the state had to step in and oversee its rate is still higher than the The Tribune suggested that Welch he had hired finances, got a ‘promotion’ to the state national average.” was sending out smear mailings because up to 19 close assembly. I think we can do better,” Har- “It is usually the case he “must be worried about his oppo- The Chicago Tribune office. friends and ris said in the article. where we snap back to being nent.” relatives In a Chicago Tribune questionnaire, better than the national aver- “Welch — a former Proviso Township while he was Harris said one of his top priorities is age,” Maisch said. “Now we High School District board president president of the Proviso High School public education and eliminating the continue to lag permanently.” and a consummate insider — is trying District 209 school board. underlying corruption that creeps into The chamber last week to paint Harris as an ‘insider politician.’ In an article posted on oakpark.com, the battle to control school boards.