Inspector not afraid to pry in City Hall - Inspector not afraid to bite mayoral hand that feed

Inspector not afraid to pry in City Hall - Inspector not afraid to bite mayoral hand that feeds him
By Dan Mihalopoulos
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
June 7, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-hoffman-profile07jun07,0,7255215.story


At a City Hall that has seen two decades of one-man rule, an appointee of Mayor Richard Daley is emerging as the most prominent counterweight to the mayor's virtually absolute lock on power.

Inspector General David Hoffman's new report slamming Daley's lease of city parking meters was the clearest sign yet the former federal prosecutor isn't just interested in nailing bribe-taking bureaucrats -- he's expanding his role to include critiquing how Daley runs city government.

Hoffman won't say whether he wants to keep the job beyond the end of his first four-year term in September. But in an interview with the Tribune, Hoffman said he has dramatically altered the perception of an office long viewed as unwilling to go after anybody close to Daley.

"I'm running this office as an independent entity -- period," he said. "People need to believe that you're independent of every other part of city government. Especially the mayor."

The inspector general is limited by city ordinance to only examining the executive branch at City Hall -- not the aldermen -- and it's difficult to gauge Hoffman's performance because the same law prohibits making public his findings of individual misconduct and disciplinary recommendations.

What is clear, though, is Hoffman has not shied from targeting the politically connected. He also has made frequent use of his ties to his former job at the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago.

Probes involving the inspector general's office have yielded 47 criminal cases in the last two years, including a dozen convictions from a joint federal-city probe of corruption in building and zoning regulation.

The parking-meter analysis released Tuesday followed an October report that alleged city garbage crews spend a quarter of each day loafing. Hoffman noted the ordinance creating his office instructs him to look for inefficiency and waste as well as corruption.

Daley and his financial advisers hotly disputed the parking report, which derided the deal that netted $1.15 billion for the cash-strapped city as a "dubious" trade-off for taxpayers. Asked if it was proper for the inspector general to second-guess policy decisions, the mayor replied, "Today, everybody can do anything they want, I guess."

In February, Daley gave Hoffman a vote of confidence, saying he had "done a very good job." The mayor rejected the notion Hoffman has "stepped on any toes" and said he could have another term "if he wants."

But Daley declined to say whether the parking-meter report would affect his decision on Hoffman.

Hoffman was appointed in 2005 to a position with a history of not only failing to challenge the mayor but also serving as a tool for the executive branch.

The mayor's father, Richard J. Daley, deployed investigator Jack Clarke to spy on political foes. Clarke's service ended with his conviction for obstructing a federal probe into theft at the Port of Chicago.

The current Mayor Daley introduced the current incarnation of the City Hall gumshoe in 1990. Daley's first appointee, Alexander Vroustouris, served 15 years despite criticism he targeted mainly small fish.

Daley forced out Vroustouris and installed Hoffman soon after federal agents raided the mayor's office in a probe of illegal patronage hiring.

Hoffman, 42, who is of Russian Jewish and Puerto Rican descent, grew up in the North Shore suburbs and graduated from New Trier High School. Despite his size -- 5-feet, 7-inches tall, about 150 pounds -- he was captain of the rugby team at Yale University.

He got his law degree from the University of Chicago and clerked for then- U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist before becoming a federal prosecutor.

Hoffman, once a press aide to U.S. Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.), has shown himself to be unafraid of the limelight. He has focused more on public relations than his predecessor.

As a prosecutor, Hoffman was more often off in the background as U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and his top assistants made headlines for crackdowns on city and state corruption.

But Hoffman runs his own show now. Images of him in a traditional prosecutor-blue suit with his not-so-typical, longish mane have become common in the local media. He has created a Web site, www.chicagoinspectorgeneral.org, with links to news articles about his exploits.

He increased his profile further with appearances in Springfield as a member of Gov. Patrick Quinn's reform commission.

"He must have triple-shot espresso in his veins," said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D- Evanston).Hoffman always was more willing than other prosecutors to place himself in the public eye, say former colleagues.

"David was not only excellent -- he had a good sense that he was excellent," said Ron Safer, another ex-prosecutor. "He never doubted his ability to effect change, even though he was trying to slay some dragons."

Patrick Collins, who worked with Hoffman as a prosecutor and on the governor's reform panel, said Hoffman has revived the inspector general's office much as Fitzgerald brought new energy to the U.S. attorney's office. "He understands politics but he's not political -- there's a big difference," Collins said.

But critics such as Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) say Hoffman often oversteps the inspector general's job description in his zeal to attract favorable media attention.

"Everything he does has absolutely nothing to do with what his job is," said Stone, who also blasted Hoffman for investigating an aide for vote fraud.

Asked why Daley voiced support for Hoffman, Stone said, "Maybe the mayor is afraid to fire him because of the reaction he would get. People might say he got rid of him because he's criticizing the mayor."

The list of Hoffman targets with Daley connections is a lengthy one that has continued to grow.

When his efforts to probe a deal involving a Daley nephew recently faltered against resistance from city pension officials, Hoffman got the U.S. attorney's office involved, one of several joint efforts.

Hoffman called for, and last year secured, the resignation of high-ranking Daley aide Christopher Kozicki, who boasts deep ties to the Daley family's 11th Ward power base and had a role in the 2004 hiring of a teenage building inspector.

Under Hoffman, the office for the first time has used secret wiretaps in an ongoing investigation of bribe-taking by city building and zoning officials. The probe resulted in federal charges against city employees with ties to powerful Daley ally Ald. William J.P. Banks (36th).

To see that the inspector general remains independent regardless of whom the mayor might appoint, some aldermen have pushed for rule changes. Yet, only 14 of the council's 50 members have given their support to a recently introduced ordinance that would clear the inspector general to investigate aldermen.

Hoffman long has advocated for the authority to investigate council members.

Although the mayor and his aides might prefer that Hoffman mute his criticism, he said it is an important part of the job to speak his mind.

"It's important for the public to know that independent offices like this exist and to know what they do," Hoffman said. "You can't live in a cave and expect to be successful."

dmihalopoulos@tribune.com