Politics

Monitor: City Still Has Patronage Hiring Problems

Mayor Daley's Patronage Chief Was Convicted In Hiring Scanal 2 Years Ago

CHICAGO (STNG) ― The City of Chicago has failed to keep its promise to clean up its hiring -- two years after the mayor's patronage chief was convicted in a hiring scandal -- a court-appointed monitor said in a report released Thursday.

In a 17-page court filing, Noelle Brennan, appointed by a federal judge to oversee the city's hiring practices, said the city and its Human Resources Department failed to comply with many provisions of a plan that aims to keep hiring fair and free of political considerations.

The finding comes after a 2007 year-end report in which Brennan accused the city of slipping backward with "subtle types of manipulation of the hiring process."

Among the concerns Brennan outlined Thursday: failing to provide applicants with their test scores, failing to test all applicants the same way, ongoing problems with promoting foremen, and failing to weed out unqualified applicants for positions.

In one instance, Human Resources sent 431 applications to the Mayor's Office of Special Events for one position.

"This could easily result in highly qualified applicants never receiving consideration," she wrote.

In last year's report, Brennan said the alleged violations she uncovered in response to 685 complaints ran the gamut -- from "hundreds" of city employees illegally "acting up" in higher-paid, temporary positions, to the city's failure to "meaningfully enforce consequences for noncompliance."

Brennan said more work needs to be done between the city and monitor's office to correct the problems.

(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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