Berwyn Alderman Says Mayor Used "Guerilla Tactics" to Search Her Campaign HQ

Saturday wasn't just an ordinary night at the office for Berwyn's Fourth Ward Alderman Michele Skryd. At about 1 a.m. police officers, sans search warrant, came to Skryd's campaign office, she said, looking for libelous campaign literature allegedly being distributed by the party backing her bid for re-election.

The police said they received a complaint from Berwyn Mayor Michael A. O'Connor's office late Friday night and were told to search the office. They looked for 30 minutes, found nothing, and left, according to Skryd, who was in her office with a friend at the time.

A report that two volunteers from the Democratic Citizens of Berwyn were seen distributing libelous flyers within a block of Skryd's campaign office last week prompted the visit, the mayor said. The flyers display a photo of aldermanic candidate Guadalupe "Jesse" Barrios under words "Wanted for Two Murders." Skryd said she had never seen the flyers until officers showed her copies -- and pointed out she wasn't even running against Barrios, who is a candidate in the Fifth Ward.

Skryd told WBBM, "It's an abuse of [the mayor's] power to send somebody to do this... I've never heard of anybody using guerilla tactics to storm a campaign office." O'Connor said Skryd's claims were a distraction from the upcoming April 7 citywide election.