Alderman Defends Bachelor Party With Strippers As 'Private Event'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) has been getting some unwanted attention, after someone posted a video on YouTube, showing strippers performing at his bachelor party two years ago.
WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports there is nothing suggesting anything illegal on the video. It's more an embarrassment for the alderman than anything else.
The recording shows two strippers in silhouette as they dance at the party, as Ervin looks on from a chair on a stage.
At one point, a woman tells the man filming the party to stop, because the video might end up on the Internet. She warns if he doesn't stop, the strippers will halt their performance.
"They will stop their show. Please, please," she said.
In a written statement, Ervin said the bachelor party took place in the same building that houses his ward office, but was on a different floor.
"Let me be clear, I never used City or campaign funds for this event. This event was not held in my Aldermanic or political office, but on another floor of the building, where neither City nor political funds are spent," he said.
A political rival, Mark Carter, briefly posted a link to the video on his Facebook page, under the headline "Women for Ervin in 2015," according to the Sun-Times. Ervin is expected to run for re-election next year.
"I am deeply disappointed that an individual, whom I regarded as a friend, would attempt to extort me, my family, and the residents of the Ward for personal gain," Ervin said. "I apologize to the residents of the 28th Ward for the attention that this has brought and I do not want this private event to overshadow the good work we have accomplished in the 28th Ward."