A relatively uneventful day at the Cook County Board included quick consideration of several property tax breaks, a closed door session on pending litigation related to claims of CPD and Assistant State’s Attorneys framing a group of teenagers, and no action (yet) on several items related to the new Trump administration.

The Council’s License Committee approved an ordinance lifting the ban on food trucks in the Illinois Medical District and another proposal to ban future tavern licenses at the Six Corners shopping district in Portage Park.

Calling it a “very stormy time” for the city and the Chicago Police Department, members of the Council’s Public Safety Committee approved the appointment of John P. O’Malley, a Director of Corporate Security for private investment banking firm William Blair and Company, to the city’s nine-member Police Board. With the shadow of the Department of Justice’s recently released report into the Chicago Police Department, aldermen spent most of the meeting cautioning O’Malley of what to expect as a member of the mayor-appointed board tasked with recommending disciplinary actions against police officers accused of misconduct. The appointment advances to the full City Council, scheduled to meet next Wednesday.

Four out of the ten large-scale zoning applications on the Plan Commission’s agenda today are located in Fulton Market, highlighting the development surge in the area. This includes a proposed 322-unit residential building for North Green Street, twin nine-story condos planned a block away from McDonald's new Chicago headquarters, and two office towers: one from Sterling Bay, another from Shapack Partners.

County business should move at a swift pace this morning, as consent calendar items that took hours at past meetings have already been heard under a new board policy. On tap in committee are several Sheriff Tom Dart appointees to the board that manages the county’s 9-1-1 call system, a handful of tax breaks for the rehab of old industrial properties, and more than $800,000 in public safety settlements, mostly related to the Cook County Jail.

Action on a case related to the wrongful convictions of the so-called Englewood Four–Michael Saunders, Vincent Thames, Harold Richardson and Terrill Swift–was deferred in the Finance Subcommittee on Litigation yesterday. Committee Chair Peter Silvestri (R-9) said “time for review and study” was needed.

The City Council’s Housing Committee approved all 13 items on their Tuesday agenda, including a 21-acre parcel in North Lawndale to Clarius Partners, in a meeting that stretched on for nearly two hours.

Attendance: Chair Joe Moore (49), Vice Chair Gregory Mitchell (7), Sue Sadlowski-Garza (9), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Michael Scott, Jr. (24), Deb Mell (33), James Cappleman (46), Ameya Pawar (47).

Highlights of items approved:

• A $1 million land sale to Clarius Partners, a development firm known for its large-scale suburban office complexes, received unanimous approval. The company is purchasing 21 acres of city-owned land in North Lawndale at a discounted price–the land was appraised at $2.6 million–because Clarius is putting $1.5 million in escrow to cover the cost of site remediation. The area, bounded by Roosevelt Road, Kostner, Kildare and Fifth Avenue, was once an illegal dumping site, part of the infamous Silver Shovel investigation that led to the indictment of six aldermen.

• Greenline Development, Inc. received approval to purchase four parcels of city-owned land in Woodlawn for a total of $4 ($1 per parcel). Similar to the Clarius sale, Greenline is purchasing the land located directly North of Oakwoods Cemetery for a discounted price–it was appraised at $62,000–because they’re covering the cost of site remediation, which is estimated to cost upwards of $200,000. Greenline plans to build eight eco-friendly single family homes (renderings from their website). According to Brian O’Donnell with the Department of Planning and Development, the developer has agreed not to sell any homes until they’ve received an official NFR letter, “No Further Remediation”, from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

• A $450,000 land sale in Pilsen that would support the construction of a new 75,000-square-foot wholesale food warehouse at 2639-59 South Damen Avenue was also approved. Banner Wholesale Grocers is purchasing the vacant parcel from the city, as well as a neighboring vacant parcel owned by the Chicago Produce Marketplace Corporation, to construct the new $10.5 million facility. Once complete, the food company, which has been in operation since 1926, will move from its existing Near West Side location at 3000 South Ashland Avenue. In addition to paying for the land at its appraised value, Banner will also place $350,000 in escrow to cover potential environmental remediation costs.

• A substitute ordinance approving the sale of a vacant lot in Pullman for $12,500 to North Carolina-based telecommunications infrastructure company, Eco Site. The parcel located at 400 East 107th Street is next to Countee Cullen Elementary School and was once a gas station. The substitute ordinance addressed the need for site remediation, according Assistant DPD Commissioner Robert Wolf.

• A $1 lease agreement with the Salvation Army, which is renting space at the Garfield Center, a Department of Family and Support Services-run community center. The lease agreement expires in December 2019. The Salvation Army will be using the space to provide services for the homeless while they construct a new facility.

There was nothing but praise for Anna Valencia as she sat before members of the Council’s Rules Committee for her official confirmation hearing as the new City Clerk, replacing newly-elected Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. After reading prepared remarks, Valencia was mostly showered with praise for about thirty minutes before the committee unanimously approved the appointment by voice vote. The appointment advances to the full City Council for a vote January 25th.  

A new Police Board appointment and another resolution affirming the city’s status as a Welcoming City for all residents are just some of the many items on tap for today, as five City Council Committees are scheduled to meet.

Multiple sources who work closely with the Chicago Law Department say city legal staff have been informed that Corporate Counsel Stephen Patton is preparing to leave his position as head of the department. Spokespersons from the mayor’s office and Law Department have flatly denied that Patton is leaving.

According to Daily Line sources, Patton will reportedly leave by the end of this week, or early next week. Also according to those sources, a replacement has already been chosen, and will be announced when Patton’s departure is announced.

“I’ve spoken to Steve Patton about this and he says it is simply not true,” said Law Department spokesperson Bill McCaffrey when reached for comment late Tuesday afternoon. Later that evening, Adam Collins, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Director of Communications, emailed this reporter, “This is not correct,” reinforcing McCaffrey’s statement.

Informed of City Hall’s response, Daily Line sources doubled down on their story, named an unconfirmed replacement, and reported the alleged new corporate counsel’s spouse has already found a job in Chicago.

Patton was one of Emanuel’s first appointments, in May 2011, and is one of his closest advisors. Prior to joining city government he was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, where he led the firm’s Litigation Management department. Under Patton’s leadership, Chicago’s Law Department earned a reputation for ferocity, adopting many practices that had long become standard in the corporate arena, such as resisting disclosure and pressing opposing attorneys as far as possible, for the sake of defending the city’s interests.

Updated: 5:24 p.m., Tuesday, January 17, 2017

As Chicago grapples with an ongoing crisis in the police department and attempts to negotiate a consent decree with the Department of Justice, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s senior staff for public safety is undergoing upheaval, creating confusion in and out of City Hall.

On the same day as the Department of Justice unveiled its findings of unconstitutional conduct at the Chicago Police Department, Mayor Emanuel’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety, Janey Rountree, served her last day at City Hall, according to multiple sources. Already, Mayor Emanuel’s other senior policy advisor on public safety, Katie Hill, left City Hall in December to work a similar position for newly elected Cook County State’s Attorney Kimm Foxx. Earlier this month, Anne Kirkpatrick, hired in June to lead CPD’s reform efforts as part of the new Bureau of Organizational Development, decamped for Oakland, California to head up its police department.

As of Monday evening, non-government legal experts who worked with City Hall on public safety issues were unaware of new public safety leadership in the Mayor’s office. That changed after The Daily Line called the mayor’s office for comment Tuesday morning.

“Right now [as of Tuesday morning], in respect to police policy stuff, there’s nobody in place. Janey Rountree and Katie Hill, who is with the State’s Attorney [Kim Foxx] now, they have yet to replace those people,” said Craig Futterman, who leads the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago. Futterman has been a legal advisor to many groups seeking police reform. “The people ostensibly in charge of police reform, Anne Kirkpatrick, there’s nobody in place for that either. Short answer is, I don’t see the folks at City Hall level. The person put in charge of overseeing police reform is gone and isn’t being replaced.”

Appearing on Chicago Tonight Monday evening, Lori Lightfoot, President of the Police Board said, “That team needs to be augmented. The person who is primarily in charge of public safety in the mayor’s staff, their last day was Friday,” referring to Rountree’s departure. “I want to know who that new team is, not one person. I want to know what the strategic vision is, and the time frame is, and what the resources are to be brought to bear to change this problem.”

“It's been public that Janey was planning to leave for several weeks,” said Emanuel spokesperson Julienn Kaviar. “Janey has been an incredible asset to the administration and the city for four years, and while she moved on to pursue another opportunity in life the Mayor is grateful that she agreed to stay on board until the DOJ report was released.”

Kaviar then explained that Jadine Chou, Chief Safety and Security Officer at Chicago Public Schools, would fill Rountree’s role in the short term while the mayor sought a permanent replacement.

Later, after publication of The Daily Line’s original story, about an hour later, Kaviar backtracked, to say Chou was never, nor will she ever be an interim senior policy advisor. In fact, there are already two senior public safety advisors in place, "We are fortunate to have a strong team in place, that includes Brandon Nemec and Deanne Millison, to advise on public safety policy until her replacement is named. Additionally, Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp has considerable experience in this area and will also assist."

Nemec has been on staff since November 2016 and Millison since December 2016. They will both hold the title of Senior Advisor and Counsel.

A quick round of calls to legal advocates who work with the city regularly on public safety issues found that Nemic and Millison have not been taking a lead role yet. Most advocates have yet to meet either Nemec or Millison.

Ed Note: The original version of this story, published at 1:52 p.m., reported that Jadine Chou would be the interim policy advisor while the mayor’s office sought a permanent replacement.

Cook County’s consent calendar changes kick in today. Instead of considering honorary resolutions marking deaths, anniversaries, or congratulations before the regular Wednesday board meetings, they will be the first order of business on Forest Preserve Board meeting days–normally the Tuesday before full Board meetings. Commissioners will also consider 2017 audits of county departments and a “Cook County Unity” resolution that appears aimed at incoming president Donald Trump. 

A $1 million dollar North Lawndale land sale to Clarius Partners, a development firm known for its large-scale suburban office complexes, is the largest item on the Council’s Housing agenda today.

Anna Valencia, Mayor Emanuel’s former Director of Legislative Affairs, will go before the Council’s Rules Committee this morning so aldermen can officially appoint her as City Clerk.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at the release of the U.S. Department of Justice's release of an investigation into the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department. Also pictured to left, CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson and Civilian Office of Police Accountability Director Sharon Fairley. (Credit: Aaron Cynic)

The Department of Justice’s report on the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department issued last Friday is an enormous beast. Not just because of its 161-page heft, but also because the problems detailed within are likely to consume Chicago’s politics and budget for years to come.