CITY OF CHICAGO
BOARD OF ETHICS
(2) educating: conducting ethics training
and education;
(3) enforcing: conducting administrative
hearings and “trials” and determining
whether the Ordinance has been violated,
and imposing sanctions; and
(4) regulating: lobbyists and City
employees and officials must file ethics
disclosures with the Board. These are
viewable on the Board’s website.
A GUIDE FOR THE
PUBLIC
City of Chicago
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor
Board of Ethics
Stephen W. Beard, Chair
Steven I. Berlin, Executive Director
MISSION
The Board of Ethics, established in 1987,
administers, interprets and enforces the
Governmental Ethics Ordinance (Chapter
2-156 of the Municipal Code). The
Ordinance establishes conflict of interest
standards for City employees, officials,
lobbyists, contractors, candidates for
elected City office, campaign contributors,
and others who interact with City
governmental personnel.
The Board has four major work areas:
(1) advising: rendering confidential ethics
advice to City personnel and others
subject to the Ordinance;
For more information, or to read the
Ethics Ordinance and Board’s Rules, visit
www.cityofchicago.org/ethics
INVESTIGATIONS AND
ADJUDICATIONS
The Board can accept and refer for
investigation complaints alleging ethics
Ordinance violations by City employees or
officials or others subject to the law. After
a complaint is investigated by the
appropriate Inspector General, the Board
may conclude that there is reasonable
cause to believe the law was violated, and
may settle the matter or hold an
evidentiary hearing to determine whether
the
Ordinance
was
violated.
All
complaints,
Board
investigations,
determinations and recommendations are
confidential by law, though settlement
agreements and findings of violations
must be made public.
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION
The Ordinance provides that employees
or others who experience retaliatory
action because they reported violations of
the Ordinance or provided information in
an investigation can recover damages, be
reinstated with double back pay, or have
regulatory
or
financial
denials
reconsidered, as appropriate.
ADVISORY OPINIONS
ETHICS RESTRICTIONS
Persons subject to the Ethics Ordinance
may seek advice on complying with it.
Board advisory opinions are confidential.
The Board can render binding opinions
only as to future conduct. If someone
discloses a past violation that the Board
determines is not minor, the matter must
be referred to an Inspector General.
The Ordinance restrictions aim to prevent
and correct conflicts of interest in City
government. The complete text is on our
website. It covers, among others things:
BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF
There are seven Board members,
appointed for staggered four-year terms
by the Mayor and confirmed by City
Council. They are uncompensated and
independent and can be removed by the
Mayor, only for cause, with written
consent of remaining Board members.
Mayor Emanuel appointed seven new
Board members in October 2012. They
may not hold any elected or other
appointed public or political office, engage
in any political or campaign activity, or
have a financial interest in any work or
business of the City or certain other
governmental agencies in Illinois.
Board members render all formal opinions
and determinations. The Board’s staff
carries out all Board functions. The staff
of 8 is headed by an Executive Director,
who is also appointed by the Mayor and
confirmed by the City Council. The
agency’s budget for 2014 is $775,400.
ASPIRATIONAL CODE OF
CONDUCT
Employees and officials must sign a
pledge requiring them, among other
things, to disclose waste, fraud, abuse
and corruption to the appropriate
authorities, give a full day’s work for a full
day’s pay; and act impartially in
performing their duties so that no private
organization or individual is given
preferential treatment.;
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Conflicts of Interest
Outside Employment
Gift/Travel Limitations
Use of City-Owned Property
Representation of Third Parties
Post-Employment Restrictions
Contracting with the City
Relatives / Domestic Partners
Political Contributions
Political Activity
Fiduciary Duty
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION
LIMITATIONS
The Ordinance regulates campaign
contributions to elected City officials and
candidates for elected City office.
→
Anonymous
contributions
and
those made other than in the name
of the true donor are prohibited.
→
Contributions
based
on
an
understanding that the candidate’s
votes or official actions would be
influenced are prohibited.
→
Cash contributions exceeding $250
are prohibited.
Contributions are limited to $1500 per
candidate per calendar year from:
→
Lobbyists registered with the City;
→
Persons seeking to do business
with, or who, within the preceding
four years, have done business
with, the City or the CTA, Board of
Education, Park District, City
Colleges, or Metropolitan Pier and
Exposition Authority
Persons who violate these limitations and
the political committees to whom they
contribute are subject to fines up to
$5,000 or three times the excessive
contribution. State law also limits
contributions to candidates for elected
City office. Please contact the Illinois
State Board of Elections for more
information.
See: www.elections.illinois.gov
NOTE: By Mayoral Executive Order,
City employees, appointed officials,
lobbyists, and City contractors and
subcontractors and their owners,
spouses or domestic partners, are
prohibited from contributing at all to
the Mayor’s political committee.
MANDATORY ETHICS
EDUCATION
All lobbyists, elected officials, appointed
officials and full-time City employees must
complete an annual ethics training
program designed by the Board.
Aldermen, City Council employees and all
Senior Executive employees must attend
face-to-face ethics training every four
years.
New employees must also
complete ethics training.
The $1500 limit applies to contributions to:
→
Each candidate for City office
during a single candidacy; or
→
Each City elected official per
calendar year or any City employee
or official seeking election to any
non-City office.
DUTY TO REPORT CORRUPT OR
UNLAWFUL ACTIVITY
City employees, officials and contractors
must report conduct that they know or
should know involves corrupt or other
unlawful activity concerning the City to the
appropriate Inspector General.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
Article II of the Ordinance requires that
following persons file annual Statement of
Financial Interests:
 All appointed officials, except members
of a board that is solely advisory in nature;
 All elected City officials;
 City employees at the managerial level
Filers disclose, among other things:
 Certain non-City compensation and
gifts;
 Sources of certain capital gains
realized, and stock ownership;
their lobbying activities in the previous
three months. Failure to register and file
reports can result in fines and suspension,
or cancellation of City contracts or
actions.
All lobbyists’ filings are available for
examination in paper and through the
Board’s website.
PENALTIES
The Board determines whether violations
of the law have occurred, and can impose
or recommend penalties, including
employment sanctions, removal from
office, censure, fines or invalidation of
contracts. Summaries of concluded cases
can be made public, according to the law.
 Ownership of businesses in the City;
and
 Investment or income-generating real
estate owned and located in the City.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.cityofchicago.org/ethics
All Statements filed with the Board are
available for public examination for seven
years after filing. Statements filed in 2009
and after are posted on the City’s website.
Older forms are available from the Board.
See this site to search forms:
https://webapps.cityofchicago.org/efis/
index.html
City of Chicago Board of Ethics
740 North Sedgwick, Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60654
email: sberlin@cityofchicago.org
Tel: (312) 744-9660
TTY: (312-744-5996
FAX: (312) 744-2793
LOBBYIST REGULATION
Article IV of the Ordinance requires that
every
person
who
lobbies
City
government must register with the Board
and pay a $350 annual registration fee
and a $75 fee for each client after the first
(there are different fees for certain nonprofits). Registrations must be filed by
January 20 or within five business days of
first lobbying.
Every 3 months, lobbyists file reports of
4/14