Inside the most scrutinized closet in City Hall: Chicago mayor's office makes it public
Inside the Chicago mayor's gift closet
The Chicago mayor's office is opening the doors on its gift closet after the city's Office of inspector General raised concerns over the handling of the items received.
CHICAGO - The most scrutinized closet in Chicago’s City Hall will soon be open to the public.
The Mayor’s office granted Fox 32 Chicago a rare inside look at the closet, located on the third floor of City Hall, which became the focus of controversy after a report by Chicago’s Inspector General.
The backstory:
The report found that the Mayor had violated the city’s ethics code concerning the accessibility and reporting of gifts received by the city.
The report, released by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, revealed that investigators were repeatedly denied access to the closet. After several attempts, they received a list of about 300 items, but the majority lacked detailed information, such as the names of the individuals or organizations who had given the gifts.
The report made headlines when it highlighted some extravagant gifts, including Gucci and Kate Spade bags, Hugo Boss cufflinks, and expensive bottles of liquor. However, the majority of the gifts were far more modest, including t-shirts, hats, sports memorabilia, and other items received at parades or public events.
Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure and Services Lori Ann Lypson addressed the concerns, stating that many of the gifts were difficult to track because they were given at large city events where the gift-givers were often not identified. She explained that the items are logged on a public website, allowing the public to access the records.
Dig deeper:
To further address the controversy, the Mayor’s office is introducing a new policy that will allow the public to schedule 15-minute appointments to view the gift closet in person.
Lypson noted that many of the items would eventually be donated to charity.
"We’ll be giving t-shirts to a homeless shelter for domestic violence, some of the artwork we’ll donate to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events or the library," said Lypson.
The gift closet issue was also raised during Mayor Brandon Johnson’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Sanctuary Cities last week, with Texas Republican Congressman Brandon Gill criticizing the ethical concerns raised by the closet’s contents and reporting.
What's next:
The public will soon be able to schedule time to view the closet, and the items will continue to be logged and donated as part of the Mayor’s new policy.