Photo: Cicero Pres. Dominick allegedly illegally fired a man, and used racial slurs
In Cicero, Illinois, town president Larry Dominick has come under serious scrutiny after a former town employee alleged he was fired due to his race and his wife’s occupation.
Merced Rojas is suing Dominick for alleging he was illegally fired. The lawsuit also claims Dominick referred to Latinos “spics,” “wetbacks” and “illegal fu*king immigrants”.
The lawsuit states Dominick possessed ill will towards Rojas because of his wife, Ana Maria Montes de Oca-Rojas, who is part of the family that runs El Dia, a weekly newspaper that has been critical of Dominick.
El Dia was closely aligned with former Cicero town President Betty Loren-Matese before she was arrested in 2002 then incarcerated for her role in a scheme that took $12 million from the city.
In early 2005, Dominick was elected and the writers at El Dia expressed their distaste for him, and shortly after, Rojas was fired from his position as a handy. He had worked for the city since 1995.
Cicero town spokesperson, Ray Hanania, told ABC 7 Chicago the Montes de Oca family-run paper “became one of the most vicious publications that was published in the town of Cicero.”
Rojas claims he was fired because of his close ties to El Dia, and because of Dominick’s prejudice against Latinos/Hispanics. However, Hanania says Rojas was fired for his work ethic, as he was caught doing a private job on town time.
“Town employees will be driving around and if they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do, Larry will follow them, pull them over, and then have them suspended.”
Rojas’ lawsuit is based on reported conversations and other evidence that the Dominick fired his because of the comments made in El Dia.
Dominick was also sued for alleged misconduct in 2009 when a town employee filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him. She was the fourth to file a harassment lawsuit against Dominick and Cicero since 2007.
