Chicago Inspector General finds 2 city leaders drank on the job on several occasions
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An investigation by the Chicago Office of the Inspector General found two top city leaders had multiple alcoholic drinks on several different occasions last year and the year before.
The OIG's office on Monday released its Quarterly Report for the second quarter of 2024. The report prepared by OIG Deborah Witzburg and her team said an investigation had determined a former deputy mayor had possessed and consumed alcohol on city time and encouraged subordinates to do the same.
This happened several times in 2022 and 2023, the OIG report said.
The former deputy mayor, who was not named, also drove a city vehicle after consuming alcohol on several occasions, the report said.
Video footage also caught the former deputy mayor and a former senior employee going to a bar during work hours, the report said.
Witness testimony said on one occasion, the former senior employee came back from lunch and said: "I'm drunk. I do not want to do these interviews," but still conducted job interviews for a mayoral fellow position anyway, the report said.
The former deputy mayor and senior employee are now on the city's "do not hire list."
In addition, the Quarterly Report found a high-ranking Chicago Fire Department official violated city rules by appearing with their CFD uniform and implements at an inspection by another city department of the property of a personal friend.
A major city contractor was also found to have misrepresented its status as a city-based business in five separate city bid package to secure a bidding advantage on $50 million in infrastructure contracts, the report said.
The OIG also completed 34 misconduct investigations this quarter.