You’d have to go back to Bernie Epton’s 1983 mayoral campaign to find a more graceless exit from a local political race than the stunt Tony Peraica pulled in the wee hours of Wednesday, November 8.
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For several months Peraica and his backers had been predicting victory owing to support from liberals and independents (so-called Claypool Democrats) outraged at the way party bosses maneuvered Stroger onto the ballot. Reality set in on election night, when Stroger surged to an early lead and looked to be on his way to winning with about 55 percent of the vote. Then, around 9 PM, the tallying abruptly stopped. Despite having spent more than $50 million to improve the vote-counting system, the county experienced transmission problems and was unable to tabulate thousands of votes.
About half the votes had been counted and Peraica didn’t have a chance, but Proft never stopped spinning. He pranced from one television camera to another, predicting a wave of votes from Schaumburg, Lyons, Wheeling, and other suburban townships. As the delay dragged on he suggested that the county might be up to something devious.
“Whatever–you see? I don’t even know his name.”
The police held him for about an hour and then let him go. “Guess what day I go to court? December 7. Pearl Harbor day, a day that will live in infamy. Come on down–you can watch me clear my name.”
