All Articles Tagged "nepotism"
Stroger's Brother-in-Law Resigns from County Health Post
(Chicago Tribune) — The brother-in-law of former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has resigned from his $195,906-a-year post as chief operating officer at the county’s Department of Public Health. Stephen Martin’s resignation is effective Sept. 23, according to Amy Poore, a public health spokeswoman.
D.C. Council Faults Gray for “Nepotism and Cronyism”
(Washington Post) — A special investigative committee formed by the D.C. Council concluded in a report released Tuesday that “nepotism and cronyism” in the hiring practices of Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s administration violated local and federal law and damaged the city’s reputation. The report, released after a six-month council investigation, portrays Gray (D) as “disconnected” and aloof as he allowed several top aides to control critical personnel decisions in the early days of his administration. The report also confirms allegations by former mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown that a top Gray campaign official paid him to disparage then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) during the 2010 primary campaign, although the probe found that Brown exaggerated the amount.
Gerri Hall's Got City Job Without Interview
(Afro) — In a recent closed executive session with D.C. Council members, the son of Mayor Vincent Gray’s former chief of staff admitted that he handed his resume to his mother for a job and, approximately one month later and without an interview, was offered a city position. The admission added more validity to hiring missteps which the administration said they made during transition as well as allegations of nepotism which have beset the Gray administration. Nicholas Hall, the son of former Chief of Staff Gerri Mason Hall, told council members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and David Catania (I-At-Large) that he was given an offer letter with a listed salary of $55,000 to work for the Department of Parks and Recreation. But he said he was never interviewed for the position. Gerri Hall was fired by Gray on May 17, the first major removal of an administration official amid the growing controversy over the hiring of political appointees.
In DC New Mayor Stays on the Defense
(New York Times) — When Vincent C. Gray campaigned for mayor last fall, he promised to bring character, integrity and leadership back to the District of Columbia. But 100 days into Mr. Gray’s tenure, he is battling the perception that his administration has brought anything but, mostly because several staff members have been accused of helping their children get jobs in his administration and of receiving inflated salaries. Mr. Gray’s supporters say that the allegations are overblown, and that salary caps were exceeded by small amounts and involved only a few people. But they nevertheless have cast a harsh light on the city just as it has become a target for Republicans in Congress over abortion and school vouchers. This is all bad news for a city trying to overcome its past, Mr. Gray’s critics say. They argue that the headlines created by his missteps are reviving bad memories of the 1980s, when the city, under Mayor Marion Barry, bungled its affairs so badly that it was taken over by a federally appointed control board.
Upset Sulaimon Brown Leaves Hearing as Key Details Emerge in Gray Probe
(Afro) — The DC council’s probe into the allegations of cronyism and nepotism in hiring that have stained Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration and caused the firing or resignation of several staff members began with a hearing March 28. But while six witnesses were called to testify before the legislative body, Sulaimon Brown—who made headlines this month when he accused the mayor of participating in a pay-to-play scheme—was not one of them. Brown sat in the audience as soon as the hearing began, and when Councilman Marion Barry of Ward 8 began to speak, Brown stormed out of the room. “They should call it an obstruction of justice hearing,” Brown said. “All of them are friends…They need to practice what they preach.” Brown said he was given an invitation to speak to the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, however, he did not testify. He said he attended the hearing to “listen and see what was going on,” but was upset that Barry spoke as if he was in support of Gray.
Upset Sulaimon Brown Leaves Hearing as Key Details Emerge in Gray Probe
(Afro) — The DC council’s probe into the allegations of cronyism and nepotism in hiring that have stained Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration and caused the firing or resignation of several staff members began with a hearing March 28. But while six witnesses were called to testify before the legislative body, Sulaimon Brown—who made headlines this month when he accused the mayor of participating in a pay-to-play scheme—was not one of them. Brown sat in the audience as soon as the hearing began, and when Councilman Marion Barry of Ward 8 began to speak, Brown stormed out of the room. “They should call it an obstruction of justice hearing,” Brown said. “All of them are friends…They need to practice what they preach.” Brown said he was given an invitation to speak to the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, however, he did not testify. He said he attended the hearing to “listen and see what was going on,” but was upset that Barry spoke as if he was in support of Gray.
Ald. Carrie Austin Gives Son Top Ward Job
(Chicago Sun Times) — If they ever make a sit-com about Chicago’s City Hall, it might be called, “All in the Family.” Now, Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) has crafted a new episode — by installing her son as her ward superintendent. Until recently, Lemuel Austin III was a $73,216-a year laborer for the Department of Water Management. Now, he has his mother’s political fate in his hands. As ward superintendent, he will be paid $75,512 a year and be singularly responsible for housekeeping in the South Side ward — everything from snow removal, garbage collection and street sweeping to tree trimming, graffiti removal and rodent control. Former alderman-turned-County Commissioner William Beavers (7th) once had his brother working as his ward superintendent. Before being convicted on federal corruption charges, former Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) had her sister doing the same.
Ald. Carrie Austin Gives Son Top Ward Job
(Chicago Sun Times) — If they ever make a sit-com about Chicago’s City Hall, it might be called, “All in the Family.” Now, Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) has crafted a new episode — by installing her son as her ward superintendent. Until recently, Lemuel Austin III was a $73,216-a year laborer for the Department of Water Management. Now, he has his mother’s political fate in his hands. As ward superintendent, he will be paid $75,512 a year and be singularly responsible for housekeeping in the South Side ward — everything from snow removal, garbage collection and street sweeping to tree trimming, graffiti removal and rodent control. Former alderman-turned-County Commissioner William Beavers (7th) once had his brother working as his ward superintendent. Before being convicted on federal corruption charges, former Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) had her sister doing the same.
In Chicago Politics is a Family Business
(Chicago Sun Times) — “Say hello to your mother for me.” Ebony Tillman gets that a lot while campaigning for 3rd Ward alderman. After all, her iconic fancy-hat-wearing mom, former Ald. Dorothy Tillman, was her neighborhood’s colorful and quotable ward boss for 20 years — until getting unseated by Ald. Pat Dowell in 2007. “I would say that people ask about my mom every other door, but really it’s more like every door,” Ebony Tillman said. “It’s the first question they ask everywhere I go. Even at the train station. It makes me feel very proud.” She’s not alone. Four other children of former aldermen also are making bids to oust incumbent ward bosses on the Feb. 22 ballot.
Keeping political power in the family — like the Daleys, Burkes, Carotherses, Strogers, Lipiniskis, Puchinskis, Madigans and Cullertons, to name a few — is a very Chicago thing to do. Keeping political power in the family — like the Daleys, Burkes, Carotherses, Strogers, Lipiniskis, Puchinskis, Madigans and Cullertons, to name a few — is a very Chicago thing to do. “Machine politics always has had nepotism as one of its prime characteristics,” Chicago political expert and former Ald. package Simpson said. “Many times there are relatives on the [government] payroll and it’s not very different if one is alderman. It’s very common for one to grow up in the family business the way [Mayor] Richard M. Daley did growing up in his father’s household.”
Tips for Employing Family Members
(Inc.) — There is the intellectual battle over whether entrepreneurs are born or made. When it comes to family-run businesses, entrepreneurial inclinations may very well present themselves in family members early on in life. Of course, one has to be on the lookout for entrepreneurial vim and vigor vs. youthful idleness. The head of the household—and the business—has to steer clear of any total thoughtless placement of family members within the company.
It is hard to be objective about hiring relatives, especially a son or daughter. But you have to objectively ascertain people’s strengths and weaknesses before you bring them into the business, says Wayne Rivers, president of The Family Business Institute in Raleigh, North Carolina. For instance, you might have a popular, socially gifted daughter who is taking accounting courses in college but she doesn’t really enjoy number crunching. You wouldn’t want to say to that ‘daughter you are going to be my new CFO when you graduate.’ Rivers cautions, “You have to let people play up to their strengths instead of trying to shore up their weaknesses.”
Family businesses are a long-established tradition. About 80 percent of the world’s businesses are family owned, according to research from the Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business. Family-run businesses account for nearly 35 percent of the largest companies in the U.S. (60 percent of all public companies), including Ford, Koch Industries, Cargill, Wal-Mart, Loews, and Ikea. More than 30 percent of all family-owned businesses survive into the second generation. But only about 13 percent are passed onto the third generation.
