Chicago is required to have a chief administrative officer; it hasn’t for decades

Chicago is required by code to have a chief administrative officer. It hasn’t — going back at least through the Richard M. Daley administration. (Sun-Times file)

Chicago’s municipal code requires that a chief administrative officer be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council — but Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her predecessors have ignored that mandate, setting the stage for “poor coordination” and “finger-pointing” among city departments, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Tuesday.

Witzburg cited the botched Hilco smokestack demolition in Pilsen as just one of 11 “missed opportunities to promote efficiency and economy through interdepartmental coordination” that might have been different, if only the chief administrative officer’s job had been filled.