Caught on Camera: Lincolnwood trustee tears down opponent's campaign sign
LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- A candidate for village trustee in north suburban Lincolnwood said he has video of an opponent ripping campaign signs off of an office building window.
The sign advertises the "Lifelong for Lincolnwood" party, which includes three candidates running for trustee, including Joe Spagnoli, a first time candidate.
"This is just something that can't happen in our society. This is not the type of person we want as an elected official in our village," Spagnoli said.
The opponent accused of ripping down the sign is a current trustee, part of the "Lincolnwood Alliance" slate.
WATCH: Lincolnwood village trustee candidate rips down opponent's sign
Jesal Patel said he does his banking at the office building, and was told by the tellers they had no idea why the sign was up, so he admits he took it down.
"I think it's much ado about nothing. The tenant didn't want a sign there apparently and they asked me to remove it. I'm a customer of the business there, and so I removed it," Patel said.
Patel is part of the slate of candidates for the Lincolnwood Village Board. His opponent, Spagnoli, said he has video of Patel taking the signs down on two separate occasions. He said he has a letter from the landlord giving him permission to hang the sign.
Patel, who has served on the council for 12 years, said this was not a big deal. He said he is more concerned about a number of other issues in the village that he said he and the other candidates on his slate are working to correct.
"It's unfortunate that this is deemed newsworthy," Patel said.
Spagnoli, however, said Patel's actions are a good example of what needs to change.
"We really think this is appalling. This is the type of stuff we don't want in our village," Spagnoli said.
Lincolnwood police said they took a report about the incident. Because it is political in nature, it was turned over to the Cook County state's attorney. Their office is now conducting an investigation.
