The Office of Inspector General (OIG) in Chicago has advised Mayor Brandon Johnson to dismiss one of his senior aides, Jason Lee, after the aide reportedly did not cooperate with an investigation. The inquiry cited claims that Lee attempted to influence a City Council member’s vote on important mayoral legislation by linking it to city services. However, Johnson has chosen to keep Lee employed by the city.
The investigation stemmed from alleged remarks made by Ald. Bill Conway of the 34th Ward, who accused Lee of implying that city services could assist in clearing certain homeless encampments in the West Loop, should Conway support key initiatives from the mayor.
In response to the released report from the OIG, Conway expressed his disappointment on Twitter, suggesting that the Mayor’s Office was uncooperative.
“The Mayor’s Office’s lack of cooperation in this investigation and rejection of @ChicagoOIG recommendations is demoralizing and disregards the transparency and accountability Chicagoans deserve,” stated the freshman alderman.
Conway has been advocating for the removal of encampments under viaducts in his ward, describing them as areas rife with crime, which police have linked to shootings and drug-related activities. Following the concerns raised about Lee’s alleged conditionality of city services on legislative support, Conway filed a complaint with the inspector general.
While the OIG concluded that it couldn’t confirm whether Lee explicitly tied public safety services to political backing due to his non-cooperation, the report noted that Lee breached city employee rules and municipal codes regarding assistance in OIG investigations.
According to the OIG, investigators first reached out to Lee by phone in October 2024 to set up an interview. Lee indicated he would return the call but later stated that he would require a lawyer from the Department of Law to be present. Investigators declined this option and opted to send Lee written questions in February.
“OIG did not receive any acknowledgment to its transmission email or any response by the initial deadline,” the investigators noted. They followed up via voicemail and email, indicating they would continue the investigation and potentially view Lee’s failure to respond as non-compliance with his duty to cooperate.
On June 30, the OIG formally recommended that the Mayor’s Office fire Lee and prohibit him from future city employment. The Mayor’s Office did not undertake a review of the report until late July and requested additional time to formulate a response, as indicated by the inspector general.
Subsequently, a private attorney representing Lee reached out, claiming they had attempted to contact the OIG earlier to show willingness to cooperate, but could not provide any supporting evidence. The OIG chose not to reopen the investigation and reiterated their recommendation for Lee’s dismissal.
In their official reply, signed by another senior aide involved in the investigation, the Mayor’s Office rejected the OIG’s findings and defended Lee’s actions. The administration contended that Lee did not intentionally hinder the investigative process and accused the OIG of imposing “unjustifiable” barriers by refusing to allow a city attorney during the interview.
The Mayor’s Office also referred to a city ordinance granting the Department of Law the authority to represent employees during OIG interviews, which was enacted after the OIG launched its investigation into Lee.
The inspector general countered these claims, highlighting that the existing rules at the time clearly mandated cooperation.
“OIG was unable to gather sufficient evidence to conclude by a preponderance of the evidence whether the subject engaged in misconduct related to the original allegation,” the report remarked.
Tim Hecke is the managing partner at CWBChicago. He began his career at KMOX, the renowned news radio station in St. Louis. He then worked at stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. In 2019, he became CWBChicago’s managing partner. You can reach him at tim@cwbchicago.com.
