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Chicago Department of Human Resources struggle over Drinking Water Whistleblower

McGann Hearing.jpg Michael McGann is a favorite at Chicago Clout. The Chicago Clout website has attempted to help as many municipal workers as possible. Today was a very long day for Michael McGann and his group of supporters. The North side of Chicago and the South side stepped to the plate for Chicago's most famous plumbing inspector. Kids demand clean water in Chicago. Chicago should not punish city workers that want to make sure the drinking water in the less affluent sections of Chicago get the same clean water as those yuppies downtown. If Chicago is to remain a "Green City", than the water should not have e-coli or fecal matter in our children's drinking supply. I am proud of these young kids that drink Chicago water fighting for what is right. These are the McGann and McDonough children. We would also like to thank the Smith, Martinez, and Bernstein kids for supporting Inspector McGann. Michael McGann blew the whistle on bad water and plumbing at the Jose De Diego School in Chicago, now his bosses are mad. Frank Avila Jr. is McGann's attorney at this hearing. I am glad the Chicago kids want clean water. Also at the hearing was Charles Walker, a former Inspector that should get his job back soon. Read an article by Fran Spielman, see below. Photo by Patrick McDonough
November 30, 2007 BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com An $85,068-a-year city plumbing inspector who uncovered "two pages worth" of building code violations that left 1,100 children at Jose de Diego Community Academy without water for weeks is facing disciplinary acton for faxing a copy of his inspection report to the school's principal. Michael McGann, a 14-year inspector assigned to the city's Department of Buildings, said he gave the Oct. 24 report to de Diego principal Alice Vera so she could use the information to try to expedite repairs that had languished for weeks, endangering students at the 116-year-old school at 1313 N. Claremont. He can't believe he's being punished for it, simply because the embarrassing story of his bosses' bureaucratic bungling -- that prompted the school's 14 water fountains to be taped shut for weeks -- ended up in the Nov. 23 Sun-Times, with a copy of the inspection report posted on the newspaper's Web site. The report contained two pages of code violations with "dead-ends everywhere ... uncirculated distribution lines that connected to and endangered" the integrity of the drinking water system, McGann said. It was faxed to Vera earlier this month. "It's a disgrace. They're being exposed for not doing their job and, because I'm the one who made the inspection, they're trying to make me the fall guy, the scapegoat," said McGann, 52. "They should have processed the violation notice immediately . . . . Instead, they sat on it and did nothing." Water reportedly back on He added, "The principal was frustrated. . . . Nothing was happening. . . . She called me and we kept in communication. . . . It had gone weeks without any word from any of my superiors about getting the water back on in the building so the water was safe for the children. So, I sent her my report so she would know the severity of the violations and how they were to be resolved. . . . My motive was to protect the health and safety of the children of the school." Buildings Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey said McGann faces disciplinary action -- to be determined after hearings that got under way Thursday -- for violating internal rules that prohibit preliminary inspection reports from being shared with outsiders until approved by higher-ups. "Inspection reports are subject to review by immediate supervisors and chiefs. Until the report is approved, it is still a draft document. Once it's finalized, it can be distributed outside the department," he said. Vera could not be reached for comment. Last week, de Diego officials told the Sun-Times they had been instructed to ration water since Sept. 14, when a water main broke outside the school in the Humboldt Park/Wicker Park area. That meant giving students as little as a half a glass of water a day for eleven weeks straight. According to McCaffrey, the water was turned back on at de Diego on Monday after new "check valves that prevent water from flowing backwards through the system" were installed to remedy concerns about "dead-end piping." The school is also planning to take other steps to "remove some of the pipes that just end," he said. Sounds like whistleblower retaliation, and I know whistleblower retaliation. But remember, dead ends must be removed, check valves do not correct dead ends, Patrick McDonough. Photo by Jean Lachat, Patrick McDonough

Comments

The goofs in the water department seem to have forgotten that the CPS is also part of our city government and is not the 'enemy'.

Nor is the public that said department exists to serve, regardless of that publics' economic status, or lack thereof.

Nor is the 'media', acting as the watchdog for said publics' interests.

Mr. McGann apparently didn't realize that in the water department, as in many, if not all, other city departments, incompetence is both concealed and rewarded, while competence and professional integrity is discouraged, denounced and punished.

IF there were errors in McGann's report, which there were NOT, one MIGHT have an argument for discouraging the resulting dispersion of PROVEN erroneous information to the general public, (something Mr. McGann did NOT do, given that he provided said information to another employee of OUR city government, ie., the school's principle, for the sole purpose of clarifying and expediting the repairs needed to restore this school's water supply system to a safe and healthy condition).

And the folks at the water department have the utter gall to condemn him for DOING HIS JOB.


Welcome to the 'City That Works', for the dishonest, the deceptive and the delusional.

CHICAGO -- An $85,068-a-year Chicago plumbing inspector who uncovered two pages of building-code violations that left 1,100 children at Jose de Diego Community Academy without water for weeks has been hit with back-to-back suspensions of three and 15 days.

Michael McGann said Monday the actions are in retaliation for his faxing a copy of his inspection report to the school's principal, talking with a Chicago Sun-Times reporter about the threat of disciplinary action and cooperating with an inspector general's investigation into what McGann calls "a rash of" substandard cast-iron pipe being used on city jobs.

The Sun-Times reported in late November that McGann faced disciplinary action for violating internal rules that prohibit preliminary inspection reports from being shared with outsiders until they're officially approved.

McGann said he gave the Oct. 24 report to de Diego principal Alice Vera so she could use the information to expedite repairs that had languished for weeks at the 116-year-old school at 1313 N. Claremont.

On Jan. 18, McGann was told he was being suspended for three days. McGann said he pulled out a tape recorder because, "I wanted a record of the event — who was saying what, who was issuing what."

The inspector said he served his suspension even as he filed an appeal with the same officials who suspended him. Then, on Friday, he was hit with another suspension, this time for 15 days. Among other things, he was accused of "borderline insubordination" for taping the earlier meeting.

"They're trying to get rid of me because I'm honest, and I'm exposing corruption," McGann said. "They were totally disregarding the health and safety of students in that school, using plumbing contractors they want to put Band-Aids on it. Eighty days after the water main broke, I showed up and found E. coli bacteria in three different locations. There was still contaminated drinking water in that school. They had a full kitchen and swimming pool they couldn't use."

Building Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey said McGann "is not being punished for sending that report out," nor is he being targeted for blowing the whistle on alleged wrongdoing.

Hey if those kids are children of Chicago employees why are they not in school? CPS last day is Friday? Or do they go to private school? So we support cutting school now?
(Response) We support fathers of families!

a few questions. did the B.As of our union just vote themselves a raise that pays them 65.00 an hour while 500 of our "brothers" are at home? also, what percentage of the high ranking jobs in the water dept. are held by caulkers while the licensed plumbers ae all in the hole?

Building Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey is a liar.

He fits right in with all the many other liars that are ruining our city.

Nice job, Bill.

You may now look forward to being permitted to lick the mayor's scro***.

Thanks for helping people mcdonough. Mike never bothered anyone in his life.

please answer 11s questions
(Response) What is it?


(Response) What is it?

a few questions. did the B.As of our union just vote themselves a raise that pays them 65.00 an hour while 500 of our "brothers" are at home? also, what percentage of the high ranking jobs in the water dept. are held by caulkers while the licensed plumbers ae all in the hole?

Posted by: 11 | June 10, 2008 10:50 PM


Te nada.

did the BAs of our union just give themselves a raise[65.00 hr]. while over 500 plumbers are out of work? why are all the top jobs in the water dept. held by caulkers?

what shakman vios do you have

Hey 11, what are you bitchen about? All the caulkers were laborers at one time and have a better idea about the work than you guys. They most likley have more years of service than you do. Not to mention the fact that they belong to the same union as you, did the same work as you and complained a lot less than you. Quit your complaining and get back to work!