Politicians behaving badly
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A Cook County elected official retaliated against an employee after she complained that her supervisor sent her unwanted, sexually explicit texts and groped her, according to the findings of an inspector general’s investigation.
The high-ranking staff member who was the subject of the complaint violated the county’s policy prohibiting sexual harassment, the investigation concluded, and received a “verbal admonishment” and anti-harassment training, the report states.
The report issued Thursday by the Office of the Independent Inspector General doesn’t name the elected official, but sources identified her as longtime County Board Commissioner Deborah Sims, a Posen Democrat. The unnamed high-ranking staff member was also found to have retaliated against the employee who made the complaint, according to the report. […]
However, the inspector general’s report states that the elected official “disagreed with the OIIG finding of retaliation and rejected the OIIG recommendation for discipline of the (supervisor) on that charge.”
* WLDS…
The federal trial of a former local state senator and one-time candidate for governor will have to wait a bit longer.
The U.S. Court of the Central District of Illinois granted a second continuance to the defense counsel of William “Sam” McCann in court yesterday, moving McCann’s trial to November. McCann has been accused of money laundering, tax evasion, and misuse of campaign funds. McCann has plead not guilty to all of the charges. […]
McCann faces more than 45 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines if convicted. Final pre-trial via teleconference has been set for October 18th with jury selection to being in Springfield later that day.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 21, 21 @ 3:07 pm:
No comments?
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 21, 21 @ 3:14 pm:
=== No comments?===
I was redoing my mileage and expenses…
I will say 45 years that McCann faces is a good cautionary tale… part 6,374… but cautionary all the same.
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- Swampy Corn - Wednesday, Jul 21, 21 @ 3:14 pm:
You already had the Sandoval/Madigan story up. Takes a lot to surprise us these days, I suppose. Or we’re back to the “Shrug” stage of politicians behaving badly.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 21, 21 @ 3:33 pm:
Groped her. Isn’t that a physical assault?
- Saluki with a Job - Thursday, Jul 22, 21 @ 2:55 am:
==Groped her. Isn’t that a physical assault?==
No, it’s worse. It’s sexual assault by statutory definition where the employee can easily file a crime victim’s compensation claim with the AG’s office for allowable expenses, ultimately (if approved by the Court of Claims) costing taxpayers. But the cost is not the issue - the issue is the shaming of the victim. Sexual assault, and the covering up of sexual assault, should be a larger story here. There are a lot of elected officials and staff members who, for a number of reasons, dismiss this as just being the way it is, but they will soon find out this is way more serious.