Beavers holding legal defense fund-raiser at a McDonald’s

BY LISA DONOVAN AND DAN MIHALOPOULOS Staff Reporters ldonovan@suntimes.com April 8, 2012 11:16PM

Cook County Commissioner William Beavers who's facing federal tax-evasicharges. | Scott Stewart~Chicago Sun-Times

Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, who's facing federal tax-evasion charges. | Scott Stewart~Chicago Sun-Times

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Updated: May 30, 2012 10:47AM

Facing federal tax-evasion charges, Cook County Commissioner William Beavers has been scrambling to raise money for his legal defense. On Monday, the politician known as much for his finely tailored suits as his unyielding belief in old-school politics is holding a fund-raiser to help cover his legal bills — at a McDonald’s.

The $125-a-ticket event at the McDonald’s on Navy Pier is touted as featuring an “open bar and buffet” and benefitting the Commissioner William Beavers Legal Defense Fund.

Asked for details about the event, including whether he organized it, Beavers said only, “It’s just a fund-raiser.”

Asked whether the fund-raiser is an indication he’s having financial problems, he gave the same answer.

City records show the owner of the Navy Pier McDonald’s on Navy Pier is Blanton Canady, whose company has given money to the political campaign funds of Beavers and his daughter, who briefly was Chicago’s 7th Ward alderman. A secretary at Canady’s office said he had no comment on the Beavers fund-raiser.

Timothy Rand, a businessman and longtime Beavers campaign contributor, said Friday that Canady’s Navy Pier restaurant has hosted past fund-raisers for Beavers. Rand said he asked some people to attend Monday’s event, at Beavers’ request.

“He was a longtime friend of my father,” Rand said. “My dad had a lot of respect for the man, and so do I and a lot of people.”

In February, Beavers was hit with federal tax-evasion charges that accused the onetime Chicago cop and former alderman of failing to pay federal income taxes on more than $226,000 he took from his campaign funds and his county expense account to go gambling and to boost his city pension.

Beavers has said he’ll fight the charges and denied that he owes taxes.

His lawyers include Sam Adam Sr. and Sam Adam Jr., who have represented now-imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

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