FOR RELEASE: August 20, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: Deanna Shoss, Communication, 773-478-8417
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published an Advisory on Regulating the Conduct of City Council Members, recommending that City Council’s Committee on Committees and Rules develop clear rules and procedures by which it can meaningfully evaluate and adjudicate any Aldermanic misconduct that might not otherwise be prohibited by the City of Chicago Governmental Ethics Ordinance (GEO) or criminal law.
“OIG is empowered to investigate allegations that Alders have violated the City’s GEO or the criminal law. There is a wide swath of potential misconduct by City Council members, though, for which there is no redress,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago.
The GEO, as it is currently written, contains an “aspirational code of conduct” for Aldermanic behavior that is not enforceable. Prohibitions on discourteous treatment, for example, and even the City’s Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy are currently unenforceable against Alders. “When the conduct of a City Council member does not rise to the level of a criminal offense and does not violate the specific prohibitions of the GEO, it is beyond OIG’s reach—even when that conduct risks undermining public trust in the Council and in City government. City Council has the authority to create rules and processes to regulate the conduct of its own members, and the conduct of members is expressly within the jurisdiction of the City Council Committee on Committees and Rules,” added Witzburg.
OIG issued a recommendation to the Committee on Committees and Rules and invited its Chair to respond in writing by May 23, 2025. OIG has received no response.
Read the full advisory
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The mission of the independent and nonpartisan City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption, waste, and mismanagement in City government. OIG is a watchdog for the taxpayers of the City and has jurisdiction to conduct inquiries into most aspects of City government.
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