Trib: Gentes Regrets Lying – But Stops There
October 22, 2008 by Guy
State Senate candidate says he regrets lying about his professional background — chicagotribune.com
Gentes still refuses to discuss leaving his previous employer further:
“I did not disclose this fact because I was embarrassed,” Gentes said. “That’s my statement on it.”
Apparently Gentes doesn’t feel the voters are entitled to any more information on this matter. Again, I think he should come clean with what happened and release his former employer from confidentiality in discussing it. This is not the simple matter of a “tough economy” when his former employer has endorsed Dan Duffy and their PAC has donated to the Duffy campaign. Makes you wonder why they would do that if Gentes left on good terms or was laid off, doesn’t it?
This is not the first time that Gentes has lied to us. It’s the first time that he’s been caught and publicly exposed for what he is. 10 observations regarding Gentes time in Round Lake
1. Economic development has never occurred as he promised
2. We never got the hospital that he promised
3. We never got the grocery store that he promised
4. We never got the transportation bypass for 120 that he promised
5. We never got the policy reform that he promised
6. He closed us off to public comment and stopped recording public meetings
7. He tried to put a power plant in the heart of our community
8. He has raised our taxes every year
9. He spends more time focused on his blog promoting “Bill” than he does promoting his constituents
10. He has always been focused on the next public office and not cared about the current one
Beware 26th District: don’t allow Gentes’ ineffectiveness in Round Lake spread to the rest of the District. Carefully study his claims vs. action; his talk vs. his walk; his promises vs. his results. Consider the impact of a guy who would aggressivel promote the location of a power plant in the heart of his community vs. listening to his constituent’s concerns.
Guy, check this out. Gentes is openly breaking the Village’s ethics laws by referencing his personal election blog from the Round Lake website. This is like shooting fish in a barrel…what’s up with this guy.
October 22, 2008
http://chicagoist.com/2008/10/22/state_politician_apologizes_for_lyi.php
State Politician Apologizes For Lying, Breaks Blogging Rules
Looks like Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes told a little fib on his resume. Gentes, a Democrat who is campaigning for the state senate seat in 26th district, said he took a leave of absence as operations director at the Realtor Association of NorthWest Chicagoland. As it turns out, he was actually fired from the position early this year. Oops! Gentes told the Chicago Tribune that he didn’t come clean about his employment history because he was “embarrassed.” Still, it’s probably not as embarrassing as being caught in a lie because you were too embarrassed to tell the truth in the first place.
Dan Duffy, the Republican nominee in the 26th district race, said Gentes’s little white lie raises serious ethical questions but refused to stoop so lows as to call Gentes a “liar, liar with pants on fire.” The Republican contender also points to a lucrative village contract made to a real estate company that employs Gentes’s wife. Gentes defended the decision by saying the village had a long history with the company (where he was also a licensed real-estate agent) even before he became mayor.
Gentes may also be in violation of the village’s ethics act by including a link to his campaign blog on his “Mayor’s Blog,” which can be found on the Village of Round Lake website. According to the ethics code, “no officer or employee shall intentionally use any property or resources of the village of Round Lake in connection with any prohibited political activity.” Prohibited political activity can mean “distributing, preparing for distribution, or mailing campaign literature, campaign signs, or other campaign material on behalf of any candidate for elective office or for or against any referendum question.”
While it doesn’t exclusively say “website” or “blog” in the act, the mayor’s campaign blog could be considered campaign literature. Lets see if he’s too embarrassed to admit it.
Why does he have to tell what happened with his job? Because he is a Democrat? The real estate business isn’t exactly booming, is it? I don’t appreciate that he lied about his employment status but I also don’t see why you need to know what the conditions were around his leaving.
The “lies” the first poster put up are factually flawed. It is really a shame when people are so partisan that they can’t look at issues from any other lens.
Why would he lie if he was laid off? He could have made a campaign piece of it then. He was fired and should tell why since he chose to hide it and hide it until he was confronted with it.
11. He blazed ahead in the name of ‘village development’ at every turn, no matter what the cost to village school districts