Latest news with #DeborahWitzburg
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chicago law aimed at tracking gun offenders isn't being enforced, watchdog says
The Brief The City of Chicago's Inspector General said a law aimed at helping police track gun offenders isn't being enforced. The ordinance requires anyone convicted of a gun-related crime to register after they're released from custody or sentenced. CHICAGO - The City of Chicago's Inspector General's Office said a law meant to help police track gun offenders is not being enforced. What we know The agency released a new report that found the current gun offender registration ordinance is unreliable and incomplete. The ordinance requires anyone convicted of a gun-related charge to register five days after their release from custody or sentencing. What they're saying Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said the registry is not being used correctly. "The registry, as it exists right now, is incomplete, out of date. It doesn't include everyone it should. It includes some people who should have rolled off. It is not being updated regularly, it's not being used regularly by officers," she said. The other side The report does acknowledge that the police department has increased staffing in the registration department, but added that more needs to be done to get this right. In a response to the report, the Chicago Police Department said it's "undertaking a comprehensive review of all public-facing information about the registry to ensure that it is consistent and accurate across all platforms. Second, the CPD is reviewing and updating its directives and forms. Third, the CPD is leveraging technology to assist with implementing the Gun Offender Registry ordinance by implementing the Offenderwatch software system, which is already in use by other police departments around the country. Finally, as suggested in the Draft Report, the CPD is wiling to coordinate with the Mayor's Office and City Council to review the Gun Offender Registry Ordinance to evaluate the ways in which it can be strengthened to work better for both registrants and the CPD." You can read the full report here.
Chicago Tribune
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
David Greising: A better way to achieve ethics reform in Chicago
After city Inspector General Deborah Witzburg complained publicly last month about City Hall interference with her investigations, the city's top lawyer countered with a rebuke. Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry at a news conference said requirements for timely compliance with records requests would remove '30 years of guardrails' that protect city workers. City lawyers need to sit in on the IG's investigative interviews of city workers, Richardson-Lowry claimed, because an attorney-client relationship exists between the workers and the city's Law Department. Well, not so fast. The policy arm of my organization, the Better Government Association, issued a statement by our outside counsel, who found no legal merit in Richardson-Lowry's claims. And former Gov. Pat Quinn has drafted a petition to address the corporation counsel's conflict of interest — by making the corporation counsel an elected office and no longer a tool of Chicago's mayor. Quinn's petition, to put an advisory referendum on voters' ballots, seems well intended. But petitions too often are ineffective, performative and piecemeal tools of reform. There needs to be a better way. In fact, there is, and it's called a city charter. One might ask: A city what? But bear with me, dear reader, and you may see the wisdom in this wonkish but powerful idea. A city charter is, in essence, a constitutional document for a municipality. Chicago does not have one. Two key peer cities — New York and Los Angeles — do. Hundreds of other cities, too. Charters are hardly a cure-all for urban ills. But they can reboot the rules by which a city is governed — which in a place such as corruption-ridden Chicago, could be a welcome change. A charter could cut the size of the City Council. It could better define the independent legislative powers of the council too. It could more effectively require disclosure and review of major city contracts. Those are some of the textbook arguments. In the grit and sweat of the city's work, a charter might prevent debacles such as the city's giveaway of its parking meters, or even the midnight destruction of Meigs Field. It might allow recall votes for ineffective mayors. It could even forbid an alderman from running a law firm that specializes in real estate appeals. The list goes on — almost as far as the good-government imagination might run. The trouble is, if normal politics are the art of the possible, then the politics of a charter campaign might fairly be described as the art of the nearly impossible. Action by the state legislature would be an important first step. But downstate lawmakers would have little incentive to back the idea. Even the Chicago caucus likely would be split on the issue. Even so, the upside benefits are potentially powerful enough that a push for a Chicago city charter could be worth the effort, regardless of the odds. In fact, the notion of a charter for Chicago is having a moment of sorts. The boomlet can be traced to a book, ' The New Chicago Way,' published six years ago, in which authors Austin Berg and Ed Bachrach held up Chicago in woeful comparison to 14 other U.S. cities. Our history of strongman mayors; nearly bankrupt public schools; fiscal and pension problems; rising violent crime; and other urban ills are in some ways linked to the lack of a city charter for Chicago, they argued. The idea was big and also abstract. But instead of dying on a bookshelf, it improbably caught on — in a slow-smolder sort of way. One effort that could use a dose of oxygen is the push by state Rep. Kam Buckner to secure a vote for the state legislature to launch the charter process — the most direct path toward that end under state law. Buckner made the charter idea a centerpiece of his 2023 mayoral campaign — and got 2% of the primary vote. Undeterred, Buckner has introduced a bill in Springfield to create a broadly diverse charter commission. Details are still in flux, but Buckner envisions an elected commission. Public officials would not be eligible, and ideally the seats would be filled with people from all walks: labor, business, neighborhood-based organizations and good-government groups; and people with expertise in municipal finance, constitutional law, zoning, data and democracy. The charter movement has attracted some odd political bedfellows. Quinn, one of the most progressive governors in state history, unveiled his petition this week at a charter-focused forum sponsored by the conservative Illinois Policy Institute. Several Chicago aldermen showed up, too — including Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, who has called for a charter from the floor of the City Council. Legislative action will happen slowly, if at all. Inertia is hard to overcome. And those who benefit from the status quo won't let go easily. The charter is an abstract issue, and proponents have a difficult time making it viscerally meaningful to voters. Buckner figures the process could take a decade, all the more reason he argues the work needs to start now. And even downstate lawmakers eventually will back the idea, Buckner argues, because the state benefits when Chicago is strong and stable. 'This is big. It's difficult. It's bold,' Buckner told me. 'Let me remind people: We're Chicago. If people want to do it, we can put our minds together and do it right.' But a decade is too long to wait for reforms that are needed now. The City Council has it within its powers to take actions that would accomplish what a charter might. In fact, those protections the city IG is seeking against City Hall interference would be one place to start. In Chicago, it's never too soon to begin making government better.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Inside the most scrutinized closet in City Hall: Chicago mayor's office makes it public
The Brief The Chicago Mayor's office will soon allow public access to the controversial gift closet in City Hall. The closet came under scrutiny after an Inspector General report revealed violations of city ethics codes regarding gift reporting. A new policy will let people schedule appointments to view the items, with plans to donate many of them. CHICAGO - The most scrutinized closet in Chicago's City Hall will soon be open to the public. The Mayor's office granted Fox 32 Chicago a rare inside look at the closet, located on the third floor of City Hall, which became the focus of controversy after a report by Chicago's Inspector General. The backstory The report found that the Mayor had violated the city's ethics code concerning the accessibility and reporting of gifts received by the city. The report, released by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, revealed that investigators were repeatedly denied access to the closet. After several attempts, they received a list of about 300 items, but the majority lacked detailed information, such as the names of the individuals or organizations who had given the gifts. The report made headlines when it highlighted some extravagant gifts, including Gucci and Kate Spade bags, Hugo Boss cufflinks, and expensive bottles of liquor. However, the majority of the gifts were far more modest, including t-shirts, hats, sports memorabilia, and other items received at parades or public events. Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure and Services Lori Ann Lypson addressed the concerns, stating that many of the gifts were difficult to track because they were given at large city events where the gift-givers were often not identified. She explained that the items are logged on a public website, allowing the public to access the records. Dig deeper To further address the controversy, the Mayor's office is introducing a new policy that will allow the public to schedule 15-minute appointments to view the gift closet in person. Lypson noted that many of the items would eventually be donated to charity. "We'll be giving t-shirts to a homeless shelter for domestic violence, some of the artwork we'll donate to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events or the library," said Lypson. The gift closet issue was also raised during Mayor Brandon Johnson's testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Sanctuary Cities last week, with Texas Republican Congressman Brandon Gill criticizing the ethical concerns raised by the closet's contents and reporting. What's next The public will soon be able to schedule time to view the closet, and the items will continue to be logged and donated as part of the Mayor's new policy.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Daywatch: The cost to fix Chicago's water mains
Good morning, Chicago. Scores of water mains throughout Chicago are too close to sewer lines, according to a new report that cautions the potential risks to public health could cost taxpayers millions of dollars to fix. In a six-page letter released yesterday, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg slammed the Department of Water Management for failing to ensure contractors complied with state and city regulations intended to prevent human and industrial waste from tainting drinking water. Witzburg said experts told her investigators that the level of pressure maintained in underground water mains likely thwarted any contamination. But she urged the city to improve its communication with Chicagoans, in particular when sections of the system malfunction and boil orders are issued. Read the full story from the Tribune's Michael Hawthorne. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History While Gov. JB Pritzker delivered a no-new-taxes, belt-tightening spending proposal for Illinois, the prospective presidential contender spoke to a larger, national audience by likening the actions of President Donald Trump and his followers to the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany. Painting a brighter picture of the state's finances than his administration had last year, when a $3.2 billion budget hole was said to loom, Pritzker's $55.2 billion plan for the year beginning July 1 includes required funding increases for schools and pension contributions. But the proposal keeps spending flat in most other areas, including programs favored by the second-term Democrat and his allies in the General Assembly. American Airlines is planning to boost flying capacity out of O'Hare International Airport this year, marking a departure from the airline's pullback at its Chicago hub in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The carrier will fly to nine new domestic and international cities from Chicago in 2025 and use larger planes, American announced Thursday. Indiana House legislators gave initial approval to a bill aimed at redrawing the Indiana-Illinois border Wednesday, but the bill continues to open up a Pandora's box of amendments — from marijuana legalization to allowing Indiana counties to secede. Bill that places restrictions on Medicaid advances to Indiana House Indiana House passes ban on transgender women participating in women's college sports After years of litigation, Endeavor Health has settled the last batch of pending lawsuits filed by patients who allege they were sexually abused by former obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Fabio Ortega – bringing the total number of lawsuits the health system has settled over the matter to more than 75. Read the investigation on sexual abuse by providers The AIDS Foundation Chicago and two other nonprofits filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration, challenging executive orders related to diversity, equity and gender. The AIDS Foundation Chicago, the National Urban League and the National Fair Housing Alliance filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt three recent executive orders. After spending nearly six years in six courts, the legal battle between the Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin and the city of Waukegan is likely over after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit put an end to the last pending case. Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga is excited about his first opening-day start, made more special by the fact it's at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Former Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is trying to create something positive out of the school's upside-down banner mishap over the weekend. As if Chicago didn't have enough problems. Here comes Godzilla, as in Gojira, the Big G, Tokyo's Own. Apple has released a sleeker and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone in an attempt to widen the audience for a bundle of artificial intelligence technology that the company has been hoping will revive demand for its most profitable product lineup. The iPhone 16e unveiled yesterday is the fourth-generation of a model that's sold at a dramatically lower price than the iPhone's standard and premium models. Chicago first embraced this Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice irreverent Biblical creation with the help of some 500 performances from a bare-chested Donny Osmond back in the mid-1990s. Any show that was so successful for so long in downtown Chicago that an Osmond was persuaded to move himself and his family to Wilmette is a piece of theater that deserves respect, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.
CBS News
12-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Mayor Brandon Johnson releases video of gift room, new rules for reporting gifts at City Hall
Mayor Brandon Johnson's office on Wednesday released video of the room at City Hall where gifts his office receives are stored, following an inspector general's investigation into his office's handling of those gifts. Last week, a report from Inspector General Deborah Witzburg's office said the mayor's office had improperly denied investigators access to the gift room, refused to hand over a log of gifts as required by the city's ethics rules until investigators filed a Freedom of Information Act Request, and had accepted some gifts without properly reporting them. In response to the report, the mayor's office on Wednesday released a short video showing the gifts stored inside the gift room, and announced new guidelines for reporting the gifts the city has received. Every gift received by the mayor's office now must be logged within 10 days, and reported to the Chicago Board of Ethics and the City Comptroller. Each gift logged must be categorized by date, description, the donor's name, and the location where it's stored. The gift log is also posted on the city's website. Perishable food items may be placed in a publicly accessible area for consumption by city staff members and guests at City Hall. If any other gifts are put on display rather than placed in the gift room, the city's logbook must indicate where it is being displayed. The city's logbook of gifts must be updated quarterly, and the city will post a quarterly video recording of the gift room on the 5th floor of City Hall. The mayor's office also said some gifts received by the city might be better suited for use by its sister agencies or Chicago nonprofits, and can be donated to them if appropriate. For example, gifts of books might be donated to the Chicago Public Library, and gifts of clothing might be donated to homeless shelters or other nonprofits. Any gifts donated to a sister agency or nonprofit must be logged in the logbook. Gifts currently being stored in the gift room include designer cufflinks, a Chicago Teachers Union strike poster from the 2019 teachers' strike, a custom Chicago Cubs jacket and two custom Cubs jerseys, a 2023 U.S. National Soccer Team jersey, a personalized Mont Blanc pen, a Superman doll, a non-functional pen from the inventory of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, several designer handbags and purses, a handmade quilt, a bag of Girl Scout cookies, and more.
