Beilke calls DA complaints “preposterous”

10598-RonBeilke.jpgPico Rivera

City Councilman Ron Beilke is finally speaking out about complaints filed against him with the District Attorney’s alleging election code violations and conflict of interest.

The former mayor called the complaints that led to search warrants being served at his home and restaurant two weeks ago “preposterous,” according to Whittier Daily-News reporter Bethania Palma

“The allegation is that he collected absentee ballots,” said Dave Demerjian, head of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit, of the 2009 election code complaint. It is illegal to collect absentee ballots because the collector could influence votes.

Beilke said, “There’s no possible way I handled ballots,” Beilke said. “If you have a quantity of ballots what do you do with them? Aren’t there checks and balances for turning them in where someone says, ‘you can’t do that?’ That would entail a conspiracy and I would not be the only one being investigated.”

Palma wrote a lengthy piece on the investigation in today’s paper, in which she also looks at Beilke’s controversial time on the Council. He is up for re-election in November, and is planning to run. Do you think the DA investigation will jeopardize his chances of being re-elected to the council?