Chicago mayor claims he didn't know about allegations against former top aide

CHICAGO - Four former employees of the mayor’s office are alleging retaliation after being placed on the city’s "do not hire" list, a move that prevented them from working in any city government job. 

The staffers claimed they were punished for speaking out against Ronnie Reese, the former mayoral communications director, who was fired last week following reports of sexual harassment, misogyny and a hostile work environment.

Ashley Rodriguez, who worked on the social media team for both Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Mayor Brandon Johnson, said she was fired and added to the list, which has made it impossible for her to find new employment.

"It completely ruined a future that I would have," said Rodriguez. "That's the first thing they're going to hear, and they've already made assumptions about me."

Rodriguez and three other former staffers went public with their allegations, claiming their terminations were a direct result of speaking out about Reese's conduct. 

Mayor Johnson said he was unaware of the allegations until recently and pointed to a flawed reporting system for not revealing the full details of Reese’s personnel file until a Freedom of Information Act request was made.

"The system I inherited established a process that did not reveal everything in that personnel file until there was a FOIA request," he said.

However, 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack expressed skepticism about the mayor’s claim.

"The mayor says he doesn't accept the anti-semitic or misogynistic behavior of his close friend, but when you look at the documentation, it's pretty clear to me the mayor knew about it, or should've known about it and should've done something immediately," said Waguespack.

Sandra Blakemore, the city’s Human Resources Commissioner, confirmed that only the chief of staff or the mayor himself could place an employee on the "do not hire" list.

All four employees have since been removed from the list, but Alderman Waguespack suggested they might have grounds for a lawsuit. 

Waguespack and 36th Ward Alderman Gilbert Villegas are now calling for the city to revise its policy on placing workers on the "do not hire" list.