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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR GENERAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
WHEREAS, in 2007, the Cook County Board of Commissioners through enactment of a Cook County Ordinance created the first Office of Independent Inspector General for Cook County; and
WHEREAS, following the enactment of the Ordinance, the Cook County Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association agreed to convene a nominating committee tasked with the responsibility to recommend qualified candidates; and
WHEREAS, thereafter, secondary interviews of the recommended candidates were conducted by a bipartisan selection committee that was comprised of four Cook County Commissioners, the Director of Ethics and the Cook County State’s Attorney; and
WHEREAS, upon completion of this process, the current Independent Inspector General, Patrick M. Blanchard was nominated for appointment and in October of 2008, Mr. Blanchard was appointed Cook County’s first Independent Inspector General. Mr. Blanchard was thereafter appointed to a second six-year term; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 2-282 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances, Patrick M. Blanchard was appointed to an additional two-year term which expires on October 14, 2022; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 2-282 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances, it is hereby recommended that the independent search for Mr. Blanchard’s replacement be convened; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago (BWLA), the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI), and the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois (PRBA) have agreed to appoint volunteers from their membership to form the Independent Inspector General Search Committee; and
WHEREAS, Timothy Tomasik, the 2022-2023 President of the Chicago Bar Association or his designee shall chair the Independent Inspector General Search Committee; and
WHEREAS, the Independent Inspector General Search Committee shall consist of seven members; and
WHEREAS, the Independent Inspector General Search Committee shall be authorized to convene the search for the Cook County Independent Inspector General.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby
Authorize the convening of the Independent Inspector General Search Committee which shall be chaired Timothy Tomasik, the 2022-2023 President of the Chicago Bar Association or his designee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Independent Inspector General Search Committee shall consist of seven members; three of which shall be members of the CBA and selected by the CBA 2022-2023 President, two of which shall be members of the BWLA and selected by the BWLA President, one member shall be selected by the President of HLAI and one member selected by the President of the PRBA; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Independent Inspector General Search Committee shall be authorized to determine the identity of a national executive search firm, such search firm may be of the Independent Inspector General Search Committee’s own choosing or the Independent Inspector General Search Committee may utilize one of the executive search firms contracted by the County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the national executive search firm selected by the Independent Inspector General Search Committee shall perform its services and submit the identities of the 20 most qualified candidates (“Pool”) for the position of Independent Inspector General, including resumes, qualifications, and statements detailing each member of the Pool's credentials for the appointment of Independent Inspector General, to the Independent Inspector General Search Committee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, following the Independent Inspector General Search Committee 's completion of its comparative review and analysis of the members of the Pool, the Independent Inspector General Search Committee shall provide the names of three candidates (the "Candidate List") who are duly qualified and do not possess a personal or business relationship (business relationship does not exclude any current or former County employees from submitting an application for candidacy) with any county elected official. The Candidate List shall be accompanied by each candidate's resume, qualifications, and a brief statement detailing each individual's credentials for the appointment of Independent Inspector General; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the President shall submit the Candidate List to a bipartisan selection committee ("Selection Committee"), which the President appoints in accordance with Section 2-282 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances. The Selection Committee shall conduct interviews and/or any other such investigations of the candidates as the Selection Committee deems fit and determine which candidate from the Candidate List shall be submitted to the County Board for consideration for the office of Independent Inspector General. The Candidate which the Selection Committee selects shall be submitted to the County Board for consideration at the meeting of the Board next succeeding the vote of the Selection Committee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Cook County Board President’s Legal Counsel shall aid the Independent Inspector General Selection Committee as necessary or requested; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that meeting conference space in the Cook County Building located at 118 N. Clark or the George Dunne Building located at 69 W. Washington shall be made available to the Independent Inspector General Search Committee at their request.
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