Tony's tough talker
Fred Ichniowski, a campaign staffer for Tony Peraica, is charged with making harassing phone calls to Commissioner Liz Gorman

September 12, 2007
BY STEVE PATTERSON Staff Reporter/spatterson@suntimes.com

He called her a bitch.

He called her worse.

And each time, the caller to Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman ordered her to "work with" rival Republican Commissioner Tony Peraica.

Now, a onetime campaign staffer to Peraica is charged with making the obscene and disparaging calls to Gorman.

Fred Ichniowski, 63, insisted Tuesday, "Tony didn't make me do anything."

Yet the Hickory Hills man then referred all questions to Peraica's chief of staff, Mike Manzo, and those in Peraica's law office.

Peraica distanced himself from Ichniowski, saying "he was a volunteer who did work for my campaign" but was not a top operative.

Peraica said they met after he represented Ichniowski on a criminal charge in 2002 of slashing the tires of several cars belonging to nuns. Records show Ichniowski also has a previous conviction for telephone harassment.

"I'm not aware of'' calls made to Gorman's office, Peraica said. "I wouldn't condone that. It's outrageous."

Yet reports show Ichniowski told police that "Peraica encouraged his volunteers to contact [Gorman] and expressed his disapproval of her new position" as county Republican Party chairman. Peraica, now running for state's attorney, bitterly fought Gorman's nomination.

Gorman said she regularly received harassing calls from the same man but notified police only after he grew more angry and vulgar in February as the board was in a budget battle and she ran for GOP chairman.

The caller said Gorman was "acting like a bitch" and "that c--- better learn to work with Peraica or she'll find herself out of a job," a police report said. Gorman said "whenever he and I were on opposite ends of an issue, the calls would come. Tony's name always came up."

Ichniowski, charged with misdemeanor telephone harassment, told police he was drunk when he made the calls around 9 a.m.