Losing Darien Hopeful Compares Patch To Nazis

DARIEN, IL — Darien City Council candidate John Laratta had a simple reaction the morning after his loss in Tuesday's election: "This is the City government that the Darien voters have elected. And keep on electing."

For more about John Laratta and the City Council election: Darien Incumbents Win In Landslides: Election Results

Laratta made his statement on Patch, which he has regularly used to spread the word about his candidacy.

After a campaign that attracted a lot of attention, Laratta, a disabled Vietnam veteran, received 11 percent of the vote against incumbent Mary Sullivan for the Ward 5 council seat. Laratta, a former Darien Planning and Zoning Commission member, pulled in 52 votes in all.

Later Wednesday, Laratta asked commenters on Patch to "please remember that I am now a private citizen, not a contestant for a political office."

He also wrote a public message for a Patch reporter: "David G(iuliani) Don't forget to pick up your bonus check at 1700 Plainfield Road any time before 5:00 p.m. Mon to Fri. along with your Paul Joseph Goebbels award for excellence in controlled news."

The Plainfield Road address is Darien City Hall, and Goebbels was the propaganda minister for Adolf Hitler's Nazi government. Laratta was upset with Patch's coverage of his 2019 encounter with Darien police. In December, he introduced the subject in a detailed piece on Patch.

Laratta's campaign advertised heavily on Patch, the only local one to do so.

In the late afternoon, Laratta congratulated Sullivan on her victory.

"I know that you will do well," he said.