Chicago ethics chief resigns amid probe

CHICAGO, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The leader of a Chicago city office meant to promote ethics among municipal workers has resigned after being accused of favoritism.

Mark Meaney, first deputy in Mayor Richard Daley's Office of Compliance, told the Chicago Tribune Tuesday he has quit the $146,940-per-year post.

The newspaper said his resignation comes after he and his boss, Anthony Boswell, were accused of mishandling a 2008 sexual harassment complaint filed by an intern at the city's emergency dispatch center.

Inspector General Joseph Ferguson reportedly stated last month that Boswell and Meaney repeatedly disregarded city policies and showed favoritism toward the intern's supervisor at the 911 center, allegedly trying to find him another city job and supplying him with a new intern.

"It was a privilege to have been part of something that had never been tried before, corporate-style compliance in municipal government," Meaney wrote in an e-mail to the Tribune. "Mayor Daley should be applauded in his efforts at true reform. Unfortunately, fear and blame seem to be winning over culture change."

The newspaper said Ferguson has been criticized for allegedly creating a "culture of fear" in which city workers are hesitant to talk about honest mistakes because of possible punishment.