(A) Pursuant to 5 ILCS 430/70-5 of the Act, elected city officials are encouraged to promptly report claims of sexual harassment by another elected official. Every effort should be made to file such complaints as soon as possible, while facts are known, and potential witnesses are available. If the elected official feels comfortable doing so, he or she should directly inform the harassing individual that the individual's conduct or communication is offensive and must stop.
(B) Elected officials should report claims of sexual harassment against an Alderman to the Mayor or the City Clerk. If the report is made to the Mayor, the Mayor shall promptly notify the City Clerk. If the Mayor is the subject of the complaint, the City Clerk shall notify the most senior Alderman. The senior Alderman is defined as the Alderman who was sworn into office on the earliest date. If two or more aldermen were sworn into office on the same date, seniority will be determined by alphabetical order of the Alderman's last name. If the report is made to the City Clerk, the City Clerk shall promptly notify the Mayor. If the City Clerk is the subject of the complaint, the Mayor shall notify the most senior Alderman. Reports of sexual harassment will be confidential to the greatest extent possible.
(C) When a complaint of sexual harassment is made against an elected official, the Mayor shall appoint a qualified independent human resources investigator, the Cook County Inspector General or, as a last resort, a law firm that has experience in workplace investigations to conduct an independent review of the allegations. If the allegations concern the Mayor, or the Mayor is a witness or otherwise conflicted, the City Clerk shall make the appointment. If the allegations concern both the Mayor and the City Clerk and/or they are both witnesses or otherwise conflicted, the senior most Alderman shall make the appointment. The investigator shall prepare a written report and submit it to the Mayor and City Council.
(D) If the investigator finds that the elected official that is the subject of the investigation has engaged in sexual harassment, the matter will be addressed in accordance with the authority of the Board and the finding shall be forwarded to the complainant and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
(Ord. 20-O-2259, passed 4-15-2020)