Trenches of Democracy

Excerpts from the second semi-annual report by Shakman Compliance Administrator (CA) Julia M. Nowicki:

H. Irregular Job Posting and Hiring Procedures… Continued

A second example of this practice involves a claim arising from a medium sized department within the Bureau of Health in which a claimant was denied a promotion for
which she was very well qualified. CA attorneys discovered two job postings for the position. The first version stated a preference of at least two years supervisory experience. The second version, which was found in the application file, is identical except the supervisory experience was no longer applicable. Documentation found in the application file indicates that “Downtown” changed the minimum qualifications for the position.

Ten individuals, including claimant and the politically connected applicant, applied for the position. A month later, a list of applicants was sent to the Office of the President, Intergovernmental Affairs, which is an unusual occurrence and is outside the regular hiring process. The claimant’s Department Head reviewed the applications and noted that only two applicants, claimant and a third candidate, met the minimum qualifications. The politically connected candidate did not possess the minimum qualifications. Several applicants, including the claimant and the politically connected applicant were then granted interviews. Although claimant had the highest combined interview score of all applicants, the politically connected candidate was offered the job.

To be continued…

You can read the full Shakman report here.

Tags: Cook County, Nowicki, Patronage, Shakman, Stroger

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