CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot blocked a deal the Chicago Park District made with an Italian American group to allow a Christopher Columbus statue to be displayed in a parade and made obscene remarks aimed at government lawyers during a contentious meeting, a high-ranking lawyer alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The lawsuit, filed by former Chicago Park District deputy general counsel George Smyrniotis against the city and Lightfoot, is closely related to another case brought by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans against the Park District after Lightfoot removed Columbus statues from the city.
In his lawsuit, Smyrniotis alleges he was told by Timothy King, then the district’s top lawyer, and then-superintendent Michael Kelly that they wanted the lawsuit over the statues settled “as soon as possible.”
