A Legislative IG for Chicago?

Back in Chicago, where in February the mayor called for the inspector general (appointed by the mayor) to have jurisdiction over the city council (see my blog post), the council is now moving toward a council-wide vote on its own inspector general.

In my blog post, I suggested that one IG be appointed by an independent ethics board, itself to be appointed by a panel selected by community organizations (it is now selected by the mayor with council approval). Needless to say, neither mayor nor council is considering such a solution. In Chicago (and, to be fair, many other local governments), ethics is a matter of turf, just like everything else.

According to an article in yesterday's Chicago Tribune, Michael Shakman, of the court decrees that sought to end political hiring in Chicago and still the point man on when the decree's restrictions end, strongly objects to a legislative IG, for the following reasons:

• "Given the long history of illegal conduct by aldermen, resulting in federal court criminal convictions of dozens, there is no reason to have any confidence in the ability of the City Council to select someone to investigate aldermen and their employees."

• The new official could respond only to sworn complaints. Quoth Shakman: "Most people with knowledge will be afraid to swear to anything. … These provisions appear calculated to minimize the number of complaints and to scare people with knowledge from making complaints."

• As the proposed ordinance is drawn, joint investigations with the U.S. attorney or Cook County state's attorney would be impossible.

• The ordinance's convoluted procedures would require the legislative inspector general to get approval from the city Board of Ethics — which, Shakman notes, has "very limited investigative staff and no record of ever finding an alderman guilty of serious misconduct" — before even initiating a probe.

Needless to say, yesterday a council committee approved the bill 22-4.

Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics

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