ChicagoClout

Do-nothing worker or racist boss?
DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION | Former alderman's girlfriend, nephew of late congressman in flap

September 21, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND FRANK MAIN Staff Reporters
The nephew of a former Northwest Side congressman on Thursday emphatically denied making racist and sexist comments to co-workers at the city's Department of Transportation and said he was falsely accused -- and fired -- for cracking the whip against unproductive city inspectors.

Joseph Annunzio, a nephew of the late Rep. Frank Annunzio (D-Ill.), said the woman who filed the bogus complaint is the girlfriend of Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, a former alderman.

Joseph Annunzio, a nephew of the late Rep. Frank Annunzio (D-Ill.), said the woman who filed the bogus complaint is the girlfriend of Cook County Commissioner William Beavers, a former alderman.

Annunzio charged that Patty Young "never wrote any citations, hardly did any work and spent most of her time in the office just walking around." Annunzio said when he "called her on it numerous times," Beavers sent county board liaison Frank D'Amato to deliver a message to Annunzio's father, an aide to Ald. Tom Allen (38th): "Tell your son to leave Beavers' girlfriend Patty Young and her friends alone."

Former Assistant Project Director Joe Annunzio has been charged with racism by another city employee, and he has since been fired.
(Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times)

Annunzio charged that Patty Young "never wrote any citations, hardly did any work and spent most of her time in the office just walking around." Annunzio said when he "called her on it numerous times," Beavers sent county board liaison Frank D'Amato to deliver a message to Annunzio's father, an aide to Ald. Tom Allen (38th): "Tell your son to leave Beavers' girlfriend Patty Young and her friends alone."

"I am a white supervisor in a position of authority who's holding people accountable to do their jobs and stories are being made up so they don't have to do their jobs," Annunzio said.

"I made people work eight hours a day. They were held accountable for writing citations, inspecting road construction, working with utility companies on street openings and meeting with aldermen to resolve complaints. Everybody was charted on a graph. Most of those with allegations against me were either at the bottom of the chart or have been suspended by me."

Beavers could not be reached for comment. Young acknowledged she's dating Beavers but denied her boyfriend stuck up for her -- or sent an emissary to order Annunzio to back off.

"Nothing is going to explain why he called us n------. . . I did not run around calling people n------, bitches and hos. He doesn't understand what he did wrong," said Young, who said she has been on leave for stress since June because of the abuse she took from Annunzio and other supervisors.

Annunzio, 42, is now awaiting final word from the Human Resources Board on the firing sought by Inspector General David Hoffman and affirmed by former Transportation Commissioner Cheri Heramb.

Annunzio was placed on paid administrative leave from his $77,148-a-year job in April after being accused of calling female co-workers "bitches," using the n-word, "mambo" and "Magilla the Gorilla" to address African Americans and for referring to immigrants as "f---ing foreigners."

He was further accused of parading around at an office holiday party with a red tablecloth over his head while calling himself the "grand wizard," a title used by leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

On Thursday, Annunzio flatly denied those charges.

He acknowledged using vulgarity to get his points across to underlings. He admitted that his use of the word "foreigners" to describe immigrants may have been insensitive.

But he said he never once made racist, sexist or other demeaning remarks to co-workers. And he said the infamous tablecloth incident was made up out of whole cloth to get rid of him for cracking the whip.

Annunzio said he's willing to take a lie detector test to prove he never made racist or sexist comments.

"They accused me of jumping up and down like a monkey and wearing red hoods. They said it happened in one office, then in another office, then down the hall. It never happened," he said. "It's crazy. That's why the stories are totally inconsistent."