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After two failed covid lawsuits, GOP congressional candidate manages to get himself kicked off a school board

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Oak Lawn resident Rob Cruz is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the 6th Illinois Congressional District at a political fundraiser set for Friday, Dec. 3, at Cork and Kerry, 10614 S. Western Ave., in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. Cruz is running for the Republican nomination in the new IL-06 in the upcoming gubernatorial primary June 28, 2022.

“Join us, on December 3, as we hold the line with Sheriff David Clarke and our men and women in blue,” the invitation said. “Now, more than ever, we need to show our support for those who work tirelessly to keep us safe. It’s time for us to show them how we can support them! And we can do this by pushing through the right candidates who will get the right policies passed.”

He just got some bigtime local publicity for that campaign.

* Today in the Tribune…

The Oak Lawn High School District 229 Board voted Wednesday to remove Robert Cruz from the board, claiming he violating his oath of office and board policy by twice filing a lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker objecting to the statewide mask mandate in schools.

The lawsuits cost the district $25,000 and Cruz sought to recoup his own legal fees from the district, said Burt Odelson, the board’s attorney. […]

Former school board member Joseph Amado spoke on behalf of Cruz.

“If you don’t wake up, you’ll all be in the camps together,” Amado told the audience.

* Daily Herald…

Cruz had come under fire by his peers on the board and District 229 administrators for filing a lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state schools Superintendent Carmen Ayala in August over the state’s mask order. The suit, filed in Cook County circuit court, noted Cruz was acting “in his official capacity as a Member of the Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 School Board.”

Under state law, school board members cannot take action on their own or on behalf of the board or district. The school board has formally said it doesn’t support litigation against Pritzker or Ayala and that District 229 will follow directives from the state.

The first lawsuit was dismissed. Cruz filed a second lawsuit in early September that added District 229 as a defendant. That case, filed in Sangamon County, has cost the district more than $25,000 to defend, documents indicate.

The second suit [which was dismissed] also violated a state law that states board members should protect their districts from lawsuits, District 229 officials said. The lawsuit created a conflict of interest for Cruz, too, officials alleged.

…Adding… From Cruz…

On Wednesday, January 12th, at a special meeting was called for the censure of
Robert Cruz. A resolution to have Cruz removed from the board for filing a lawsuit against
Governor Pritzker, on August 19th, 2021, was passed.

“I want to thank the all of the people who came out in support of me last night, your kind
words did not go unnoticed”, said Rob Cruz, after the vote.

“I am saddened that my right to due process was circumvented by the members of district 229
resolution to declare my seat vacant. I will be pursuing my rights as an elected official under
the Illinois constitution for due process”. he continued.

“Removing elected officials because you disagree with their methods is simply an act of cancel
culture and has no place in American government. All options including appeal of my lawsuit
are now on the table”. he said. “This is not twitter, this is a dulv elected position on a school
board, if we allow abuse of power at this level, we have breeched our democracy “, he said
during a Fox tv segment this morning.

“The lawsuit has been about retrieving local control as the Legislature has failed to pass laws,
during this time of emergency, to quide the people of IL through this time. Instead we have
allowed unchecked executive authority, by the office of the governor, to advance a one-size.
fits-all approach”, stated Cruz.

“Across the state, we have had more children die of suicide than Covid-19!”, claimed Cruz.
“let us tell the truth on what is going on here… I am being cancelled because I refuse to accept
government overreach in America, especially in our state of Illinois.” said Cruz.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:05 pm

Comments

It’s a big publicity win for him but it’s not really the school board’s responsibility to care about that. This guy was gonna keep finding ways to cost the district legal fees and man-hours. Keeping him out of Congress is someone else’s problem, the school board has a school to run. Good on them for ignoring second-order nonsense and focusing on the real job.

Comment by vern Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:17 pm
Is there a competency test required before these mopes run for office?

Comment by Rudy’s teeth Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:21 pm
This ruling has really upset the Edgar County Watchdogs very much. They wrote up a big story on this and how Mr. Cruz did everything right and the board doesn’t have the authority to do anything to him. Of course they are saying he must have. Wait for it DUE PROCESS!!!

Comment by Club J Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:23 pm
He’ll get back the legal fees he lost to DeVore and then some with a “Donate Here to Fight The Wokes Who Cancelled Me” button on his campaign site. Should take less than an hour once he shows up on Tucker.

Comment by Roadrager Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:24 pm
Tax dollars spent out of nuisance law suits. Maybe the RNC will pay them…lol

Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:34 pm
He clearly should be out. He acted without authority and cost his district precious tens of thousands of dollars.

-If you don’t wake up, you’ll all be in the camps together-

Will there be arts and crafts? Cuckoo, cuckoo.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:35 pm
“And one time, at Covid camp, I built a birdhouse.”
Ah yes, the ever-NON-present “camps” to imprison Americans for the (insert conspiracy theory here). Wonder if he’ll next claim that man never walked on the Moon?

Comment by thisjustinagain Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:43 pm
“you’ll all be in the camps together”

Absolutely disgusting rhetoric from someone who’s apparently dumber than the 2×4s in my garage. No wonder they’re dying (and killing others) in such great quantities from a preventable disease.

Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:48 pm
- “If you don’t wake up, you’ll all be in the camps together,” -

In the discussion of political playbooks, I’ve noticed something interesting over the past few decades.

Every time. Every.Time. there is a Democratic president in office, this talk of camps starts up. It goes well beyond just vague references. Back when Bill Clinton was president, the militia and conspiracy types were parroting this rumor of actual camps being set up. One of them supposedly was being placed in Beech Grove, Indiana.

The rumors went away when Bush was elected.

When Obama was elected, the rumors of camps started up again. This time the flavor of the time was that abandoned walmarts were going to be the site of these camps.

When the last president was in office, the rumors again stopped.

Biden hasn’t even been in office a year and the talk of camps is right back in the discourse.

My question, what is the underlying strategy and thought process behind this - because there obviously is one. It’s been around for 30 years. It’s also very Wanniski-like in how the strategy seems to play out.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:50 pm
- Is there a competency test required -

Yes. You get to see if your local area is competent enough to be paying attention and not elect them.

Start now.

Because these groups are. In a big way.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:52 pm
Can’t see how this helps the Griffin slate. There are only so many viable candidates and the man’s pockets are only so deep. Maybe time for Ken to think about a third party.

Comment by Pundent Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 4:54 pm
“Oh this one time at COVID camp . . .”

Comment by G'Kar Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 5:03 pm
“Is there a competency test required before these mopes run for office?”

Can they collect enough signatures on valid petitions for election.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 5:06 pm
Humans seem poised to take a giant leap…backwards.

Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 5:06 pm
Seems like another lawsuit needs to be filed forcing Cruz to pay for the legal expenses he cost the district.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 6:35 pm
= Every.Time. there is a Democratic president in office, this talk of camps starts up.=

The difference between then and now is that the talkers are considered “the base.”

Comment by Pundent Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 6:46 pm
===Beech Grove, Indiana===

Home of Steve McQueen.

The camp idea does ebb and flow depending on which party controls the WH. I have fond memories of all of the FEMA camps that Obama was building. The other correlation, and it’s similar to this, is people sticking up on weapons before the Democrats seize all 300 million firearms out there. A friend of mine reports that it’s difficult to find 9mm ammunition because it is flying off the shelves.

Somebody is making bank on these poor, dumb, gullible marks.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 6:54 pm
“I’m being canceled”

Oh boy…

Dude. You sued the Governor, claiming you were representing the school board without the authority to do so.

Then you sued again (without the authority to do so), but also sued the school board that you sit on, costing the district $25k.

It is true. You’re being “canceled,” if by canceled you mean punished for abdicating your fiduciary responsibilities and violating your oath of office.

Comment by SaulGoodman Thursday, Jan 13, 22 @ 9:27 pm
He is one of seven Board Members and does not speak for the board, he has one vote. He was elected, he was speaking for some of those who elected him, whether or not they are “right” or “wrong”. What law did he break? it took years and a special prosecutor to remove Blago from office and this guy is removed by a Board vote? Courts may say differently .

Comment by Elliott Ness Friday, Jan 14, 22 @ 7:27 am
==it took years and a special prosecutor to remove Blago from office ==

The cause of removing Blago was strongly aided even more when Emil Jones stepped down as Senate President.

Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Friday, Jan 14, 22 @ 7:59 am
=He was elected, he was speaking for some of those who elected him, whether or not they are “right” or “wrong”. What law did he break?=

No, as the post makes clear, he filed the suit in his official capacity as a board member. As such he was speaking for the board. And the very next sentence in the post says that the law does not allow him to do so.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Jan 14, 22 @ 8:15 am
Pundent- “As such he was speaking for the board. And the very next sentence in the post says that the law does not allow him to do so.” He, as one member, CANNOT speak for the Board. He does not have that authority- the point is that he acted as an individual even though he may have said he spoke for the Board. Don’t care if or how HE filed the suit, he simply does not have the standing or authority to do so. Under that logic one Member of the Senate could file suit on behalf of the Senat? Nope.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 14, 22 @ 8:26 am
=HE filed the suit, he simply does not have the standing or authority to do so.=

You asked what law he broke. He filed an lawsuits which ended up costing the board $25K even though, as you say, he had no standing to do so. And there is a state law that expressly prohibits him from doing what he did. He ignored it, suffered the consequences, and now wants to claim that he’s a victim. To the extent he’s being “cancelled” its due to his own stupidity.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Jan 14, 22 @ 8:39 am