While you wait for my great wisdom, make sure you drop a couple of bucks at the PayPal Box to your left. We will continue to provide free airtime to anyone running for political office in Chicago. This allows candidates a chance to sharpen their skills. Every penny goes towards expenses I have provided free for years. We are changing our video hosting from Motionbox and changing to high-def. We are also considering a membership based website, so we can release information of investigations while they occur. Enjoy the rest of the summer out of jail.
One Reply to “Rest is Good”
Comments are closed.
Former Hired Truck Program head sues city
Claims discrimination: ‘There was no reason for terminating me’
Comments
August 5, 2010
BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporters
The man who took over Chicago’s scandal-scarred Hired Truck Program when Mayor Daley needed it most — only to get the ax — is now suing his old bosses.
Bob Benson, 65, former director of internal audit for the city, filed the lawsuit against the city which accuses his one-time supervisor, former Office of Compliance Chief Anthony Boswell, of age and race discrimination. He claims Boswell hired an African-American woman to replace him even though she didn’t have the background required to oversee the all-important internal audit function.
According to Benson, Boswell, who is African-American, introduced the woman to underlings as “someone he had known for 20 years.”
“I saw a pattern going on where a lot of Caucasians were being terminated and none were being hired. That told me that Boswell was discriminating,” Benson, who is white, told the Sun-Times on Thursday.
“He was very sensitive to the City Council and making sure we used minority firms. The percentages we used were way above the requirements and he kept telling me to bring in more and more. Quite frankly, some of these firms were not qualified to do some of the work.”
Benson noted that he was fired without cause or warning, even though he took over the Hired Truck program at a time when Mayor Daley needed it most.
“It became quite apparent that he wanted me out and he wanted his person in,’’ Benson said. “He didn’t like the fact that I had a department that was functioning efficiently and he did not have complete control over that.”
He added: “I was given no advance warning. I was given a copy of my personnel file. There was nothing negative in it. There was no reason for terminating me.”
Boswell, who couldn’t be reached for comment, resigned in March. Jennifer Hoyle, a spokesperson for the city’s law department, said city officials hadn’t seen the lawsuit and couldn’t comment.
While the civil suit will proceed in Cook County Circuit Court, Benson has already lost a battle in his fight. He filed a discrimination complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, which dismissed the case “for lack of substantial evidence” in June.
Despite the lawsuit, an independent investigation Thursday cleared Boswell of claims he quashed an investigation into a sexual harassment complaint against Chicago Fire Commissioner John Brooks — the second African-American to hold the post. Brooks has also since resigned.
Former judge Patricia Brown Holmes, who was appointed to conduct an independent investigation of the harassment claims against Brooks and the cover-up allegations against Boswell, wrapped up her investigation by concluding that there was no wrongdoing by either man.
“While Brooks’ behavior and comments were inappropriate for the workplace, they did not violate the city’s sexual harassment policy,’’ said Human Resources spokesperson Connie Buscemi.
The investigation further concludes that Boswell “did not improperly influence the investigation into a Chicago Fire Department employee’s sexual harassment complaint against Commissioner Brooks,’’ she said.