Courtesy of Pixabay
Courtesy of Pixabay
Chicago’s 21st Ward Alderman Howard Brookins has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine for failing to track the work and hours of five aides, including Curtis Thompson, his former chief of staff, who was sentenced to prison in 2015 for accepting a bribe, according to a press release from Project Six.
“In Chicago, many elected officials have treated the Municipal Code of Chicago as optional,” Faisal Khan, the former legislative inspector general of Chicago and the CEO of Project Six, said in the release. “It is not. Alderman Brookins failed taxpayers in a responsibility any professional is familiar with, keeping accurate–or in this case, any–time records for staff. Taxpayers have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent and whether someone is violating their trust. Time sheets are a component of that trust."
Khan said the Chicago Board of Ethics had acted appropriately in making the agreement public to show that elected officials are held accountable for their actions.
Alerts Sign-up