Story posted Thursday, June 18, 2009
State's Attorney: Niles Trustee Needs To Step Down
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Niles Village Trustee George Alpogianis is preparing to step down from the village board after an investigation by the Cook County State's Attorney confirmed he was ineligible to hold office as a convicted felon and threatened to remove him, the Journal & Topics Newspapers has learned.
"If he does not resign, the State's Attorney's Office will bring a civil action seeking his removal," State's Attorney's spokesman Andy Conklin told the Journal & Topics on Wednesday.
After Alpogianis was informed of the investigation's findings this week, his lawyer contacted the governmental agency informing them that his client will step down on or before Monday, June 22, according to Conklin. Alpogianis said he would make an announcement at a scheduled village board meeting on Tuesday, June 23.
Conklin said his office confirmed six class three felony convictions on Alpogianis' record making him ineligible to hold office.
Conklin went on to say that his office contacted Alpogianis informing him he would be eligible to hold office if he could provide proof of a pardon from the governor's office.
Before speaking with Conklin yesterday (Wednesday), Alpogianis contacted the Journal & Topics saying he will make a major announcement about, "What's going on with my life" this week through a press release issued by the village and that he will discuss it further at the village board meeting on Tuesday, June 23.
After Alpogianis won his seat in last April's election a spokesman for the State's Attorney said his office would not seek Alpogianis' removal unless they received a complaint.
Last week, Conklin confirmed that a complaint had been filed and an investigation was underway.
At the time of his convictions Alpogianis, now 43, was in his late teens but charged as an adult.
The Tuesday, June 23 village board meeting comes just three days before former Niles Mayor Nick Blase's scheduled sentencing date on federal corruption charges that he pled guilty to last year after stepping down from a 47-year tenure as mayor.
Alpogianis ran as part of a slate with Mayor Robert Callero and incumbent trustees Louella Preston and Andrew Przybylo.
Court records obtained through Cook County Circuit Court show Alpogianis pled guilty to six counts of felony-aggravated battery related to a melee outside a Chicago house party in 1984 and one count of felony damage to property for the 1983 pipe bombing of a Chicago restaurant.
The Journal & Topics was not able to immediately contact Mayor Robert Callero for comment. During the campaign Callero pledged his unwavering support of Alpogianis in the face of those convictions.
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