Chairman Cabrera and Members of the Board:
The City Colleges of Chicago is quickly becoming known for fiscal mismanagement, waste, and patronage hiring. In the past year positions have been created for District office staffers that have not existed in the one hundred year history of the City Colleges of Chicago. What’s worse is that these positions are being created by the Chancellor to provide jobs; very high paying jobs for her friends.
The hiring of Ms. Joyce Carson as Vice Chancellor-Business Enterprise at $150,000 a year raises some significant questions. While we do not seek to question Ms. Carson’s abilities; we do question her appointment, as this position was clearly developed for her based on her friendship with Chancellor Hyman. As you are aware, Ms, Carson served as VP of Investor Relations for Exelon, the parent company of Commonwealth Edison, the Chancellor’s most recent employer.
In addition to Ms. Carson’s position, in the past year the Board has approved the hiring of a COO, a Chief of Staff, an Advisor to the Board of Trustees, and numerous other questionable positions. There seems to be no accountability for the hiring decisions that are being made at the District Office. There seems to be an atmosphere of job creation as needed for friends as opposed to developing positions to meet the needs of our students. Today the City Colleges website has a position posted for the hiring of a District Director of Branding and Marketing. Is not the over two million dollars already spent on consulting firms sufficient to cover the District’s branding and marketing needs? When will this wasteful spending end? Is this what it means to be REINVENTED? Please put an end to the fiscal mismanagement, waste and patronage hiring that has become synonymous with the City Colleges of Chicago.
I just heard from the grapevine that Chancellor Hyman has some history with her past employer. Allow me to elaborate. It would appear that Cheryl Hyman's appointment to the City Colleges of Chicago was the result of corporate dissatisfaction in her performance as VP of Operations because she was doing the exact same thing she is currently doing at CCC. Since ComEd was unwilling to face the possibility of a race discrimination suit against them, the company president, who just happens to be good friends with Mayor Daley, asked him to take her off their hands, hence her appointment as CCC Chancellor.
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