Chicago inspector general, mayor's office tussle over watchdog rules
Chicago inspector general calls out mayors office
Chicago’s top watchdog says the mayor’s office is making it harder for her to conduct investigations. Here’s what’s behind the dispute.
CHICAGO - Chicago’s top watchdog is raising alarms about what she says are deliberate efforts by the mayor’s office to limit independent oversight of city government.
What we know:
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Monday that the mayor’s office has, in some cases, required city attorneys to be present during interviews conducted as part of her investigations—something she believes should not be allowed.
"My concern about that is it looks to me, because they don't always make that demand, that looks like a selective interference with our work, in order to protect certain people and certain issues from effective oversight," Witzburg said.
She also pointed to cases where the city has claimed attorney-client privilege to withhold confidential documents from her office—documents she says are crucial to conducting thorough investigations.
To address those barriers, Witzburg is backing a proposal from Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) that would close what she describes as loopholes in the city’s oversight structure. The ordinance would bring Chicago in line with best practices used by other cities, she said.
Her position was echoed by the Association of Inspectors General, which issued a statement Monday saying that inspectors general "must have unobstructed access to materials belonging to the entities they oversee, including materials that may be otherwise privileged from disclosure to third parties."
What's next:
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office responded to Witzburg’s concerns by denying any wrongdoing. They said there’s no evidence that attorney presence has "in any way impaired the OIG’s ability to conduct its work," and criticized the ordinance as "troubling," claiming it focuses more on expanding the inspector general’s authority than preventing waste, fraud, or abuse.
But Witzburg pushed back, framing the conflict as an obstacle to achieving a clean and transparent government.
"This shuts down investigative avenues. It makes us less able to get at the information we need to do our work," she said.
The Source: FOX 32's Paris Schutz reported on this story.