Conehead Conflicts

A reporter is still asking Conehead about conflicts of interest:

• Mayor Brandon Johnson taught for four years at Chicago Public Schools before going on leave in 2011 to work for the Chicago Teachers Union and ultimately launch a career in politics. But even though he no longer works for the union, Johnson remains on “union leave” from the school district.

  That means, after all these years, he could return to the classroom — and earn a six-figure salary as if he never left.

  The mayor’s leave status has attracted more scrutiny and concerns about a potential conflict of interest in recent weeks, as his administration negotiates a contract with the CTU that could benefit him in the future. Those negotiations have become increasingly tense and have fueled a monthslong leadership shakeup at CPS, including the recent firing of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Under CPS policy, Johnson — or any CPS employee who leaves to work for the union — can accrue seniority during their time away and return to CPS with the guarantee of a job.

This goes long with another report the other day about Conehead's potential pensions topping out at a few million dollars due to "loopholes" that were never closed, based solely on his four years teaching and one term as mayor.

But buried deep in the article is this eye-opener for you northside readers:

• Ald. Nick Sposato, who represents part of the city’s Northwest Side, said he was on leave from the Chicago Fire Department for his first eight years in office and voted on firefighter contracts. During that time, he did not feel conflicted because council members were not directly involved with bargaining.

  “Nobody ever had a problem with me being a fireman and voting on fire contracts,” Sposato said.

  Sposato, who is occasionally critical of the mayor, also said he did not believe Johnson would “give the farm away” for personal gain years from now. "I believe he’s a man of integrity,” he said of Johnson.

Hey Nick, wipe your chin. You missed a spot, probably while you were shoveling tens of thousands of dollars in "bonuses" to those connected office dollies.