Sun-Times unfair to Cicero leader

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Cicero town president Larry Dominick leaves the Dirksen Federal Building, 219 S. Dearborn, with wife Elizabeth at day's end Tuesday July 5, 2011. He is fighting a federal civil suit filed by plaintiff Merced Rojas. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times

Updated: January 23, 2012 3:44AM

The Chicago Sun-Times is determined to go down in history as one of the most irresponsible, unprofessional and politically vicious publications in journalism.

In its campaign to libel Cicero Town President Larry Dominick, the Sun-Times has taken one sentence out of obvious context and turned it into one of the most ridiculous “scandals” ever published.

The story is maliciously headlined “Cicero’s Dominick swore he didn’t touch town worker — but had sex with her” [Sept. 21]. To justify this outrageous lie, the Sun-Times took six words on page 193 of a 2009 deposition that consists of 363 pages and 77,666 words and intentionally distorts its meaning.

In the prior 192 pages, President Dominick was asked repeatedly if he sexually harassed employees and he repeatedly denied each and every false accusation. There is not one piece of evidence, not one corroborating witness, not one text message and not one record to back up the spurious claims that he sexually harassed Sharon Starzyk, a person with whom he once had a relationship but broke up with and later married his wife. The context of the discussion and question is clear.

Yet the Sun-Times ignored that context to distort the meaning of the question, “Did you ever touch Sharon Starzyk?” The context is not of touching but sexually harassing someone. He said “No.”

Sharon Starzyk is a serial litigator. She filed numerous lawsuits and criminal complaints against many people outside of her work at the Town of Cicero, including alleging sexual harassment. That is what she does.

Under President Dominick, the Town of Cicero has built a new Town Hall, expanded health services, opened new parks and attracted new business and industry, building a stronger sales tax base and keeping property taxes low. The town is building a new sports stadium to promote hockey for students in our local schools and offers an endless array of programs to serve our youth, seniors and families. But these are programs the Sun-Times has refused to cover.

Instead, over the past six months, the Chicago Sun-Times has filed two dozen FOIA requests and published a dozen derogatory stories. It has published equally false columns by columnist Carol Marin, whose aversion to Cicero is notorious.

Ray Hanania,

spokesman,

Town of Cicero