Clout allegations cost Chicago official his job
Transportation aide accused of prodding 3 firms to hire his son
A deputy commissioner in Chicago's Department of Transportation has resigned under fire for allegedly clouting his son into full-time jobs with three different companies that held contracts with the department.
Gilberto Quinones, who oversaw CDOT's Division of Administration, resigned his $122,940-a-year job effective July 26.
If Quinones hadn't resigned, he risked being fired. Sources said Inspector General Joe Ferguson recommended Quinones' termination for allegedly muscling his son into "three successive" full-time jobs with three different engineering firms holding Transportation contracts.
In two of the cases, Quinones is accused of going to the city managers with direct oversight over those contractors and directing them to "find a place for my kid." He allegedly approached the president of the third company directly, according to sources familiar with the inspector general's report.
Transportation Department spokesman Brian Steele said newly appointed Commissioner Bobby Ware received the report in late July and was in the process of reviewing it when Quinones stepped down.
At the inspector general's request, Ware is also pursuing disciplinary action against another CDOT employee accused of assisting in the alleged wrongdoing, Steele said. He refused to identify the other employee or specify the punishment.
"These are allegations we take very seriously. City ethics rules prevent anyone from hiring a family member or having a family member hired by a contractor doing business with the city. This appears to be a clear violation," Steele said.
"CDOT has hundreds of contracts. We've had scores of senior managers. This is the first time that this type of allegation has been made against a CDOT manager in at least the last 10 years. That said, one instance is one too many. That's why we'll look at possible safeguards to prevent something like this from happening in the future."
In the wake of Ferguson's report and Quinones' resignation, the new commissioner has met with his top managers to "reiterate the rules and emphasize the serious nature of these regulations," Steele said.
Contractors are already aware of the rules, but they, too, will be reminded -- either in the form of a letter or a "contracting forum," he said.
Quinones could not be reached for comment.
Transportation aide accused of prodding 3 firms to hire his son
A deputy commissioner in Chicago's Department of Transportation has resigned under fire for allegedly clouting his son into full-time jobs with three different companies that held contracts with the department.
Gilberto Quinones, who oversaw CDOT's Division of Administration, resigned his $122,940-a-year job effective July 26.
If Quinones hadn't resigned, he risked being fired. Sources said Inspector General Joe Ferguson recommended Quinones' termination for allegedly muscling his son into "three successive" full-time jobs with three different engineering firms holding Transportation contracts.
In two of the cases, Quinones is accused of going to the city managers with direct oversight over those contractors and directing them to "find a place for my kid." He allegedly approached the president of the third company directly, according to sources familiar with the inspector general's report.
Transportation Department spokesman Brian Steele said newly appointed Commissioner Bobby Ware received the report in late July and was in the process of reviewing it when Quinones stepped down.
At the inspector general's request, Ware is also pursuing disciplinary action against another CDOT employee accused of assisting in the alleged wrongdoing, Steele said. He refused to identify the other employee or specify the punishment.
"These are allegations we take very seriously. City ethics rules prevent anyone from hiring a family member or having a family member hired by a contractor doing business with the city. This appears to be a clear violation," Steele said.
"CDOT has hundreds of contracts. We've had scores of senior managers. This is the first time that this type of allegation has been made against a CDOT manager in at least the last 10 years. That said, one instance is one too many. That's why we'll look at possible safeguards to prevent something like this from happening in the future."
In the wake of Ferguson's report and Quinones' resignation, the new commissioner has met with his top managers to "reiterate the rules and emphasize the serious nature of these regulations," Steele said.
Contractors are already aware of the rules, but they, too, will be reminded -- either in the form of a letter or a "contracting forum," he said.
Quinones could not be reached for comment.
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Detective Shavedlongcock:
How about this... The Mayor refuses to accept his resignation and fires his ass... and we save millions of dollars this asswipe would have received in pension payments???? Oh we can't do that... this is the mayor's buddy!
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