Wedding bells sound city staff ethics alarm
Top adviser to Lightfoot to marry Chicago alderman
A top legislative adviser to Mayor Lori Lightfoot is marrying first-term Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner, raising concerns from some of the mayor’s staff about the ethical implications of the relationship, sources told the Tribune.
Lightfoot’s senior adviser for legislative counsel and government affairs, Samantha Fields, has been dating Gardiner for months and they plan to get married in October, sources said. Politico first reported news of thewedding plans.
In a statement, the mayor’s office congratulated Fields on her engagement and said she will immediately take a new role as senior adviser, “helping to guide the administration’s strategy on budget, cannabis, labor, state policy and special projects, among other policy matters.”
“She will no longer have a direct role working with City Council issues,” the mayor’s office said.
The mayor’s office also said it has “worked closely with the Board of Ethics to ensure ethical conduct in both her previous and current roles and have been informed that there is no conflict of interest in Sam continuing in her current role.”
BoardofEthicsExecutive DirectorSteve Berlin saidhe isn’t allowed to confirm whether he’s even given advice but said city employees and officials are only prohibited fromsupervising a spouse. News of the wedding plans raised concerns for some members of Lightfoot’s administration, who told the Tribune they were worried about the appearance of a potential conflict raised by the relationship.
Gardiner did not return a message seeking comment. Fields did not immediately return a request seeking comment.
A holdover from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, Fields helped man
age the relationship between Lightfoot and the City Council.
Lightfoot is promoting Manuel “Manny” Perez, the current deputy director of
intergovernmental affairs, to Fields’ job. Perez previously worked for U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and managed Lightfoot’s runoff campaign.
“The mayor has great confidence in Manny, and themayor and his colleagues look forward to his continued leadership in shepherding its policy in City Council,
Springfield and D.C.,” the mayor’s office said.