(The Center Square) — A member of Illinois’ highly-paid diversity commission disclosed a side job to state officials in a manner that masked the $22,500 she earned for it, an investigation by The Center Square found.
Certain state officials are required by law to disclose secondary sources of income that exceed $7,500 in any year. The disclosures are required annually to expose potential conflicts of interest.
It is a misdemeanor crime to knowingly file a false or incomplete disclosure.
In regard to the seven members of the Commission on Equity and Inclusion, the disclosures have also been a window into their work schedules. Each commissioner makes about $150,000 a year but have lax schedules and fewer responsibilities compared with their counterparts elsewhere in state government.
Further, they are allowed by law to work other paid jobs, unlike other state board members.
The disclosures and other publicly available information indicate most of the commissioners have worked other jobs during their tenures.
Some lawmakers and state Republican party leaders have questioned, based on The Center Square’s findings, whether the commissioners’ high pay is warranted, given their responsibilities and performance. They have promised to question commissioners or staff when they come before their committees this session.
One of the commissioners key goals is to increase the number of businesses owned by racial minorities and women that are eligible for preference in state contracting, but that number has dropped by nearly half during their tenures.
University side jobs
Commissioner Ennedy Rivera, an attorney, has taught courses at the University of Illinois Chicago three times in recent years, according to university records.
Rivera listed the work in her annual disclosures under a section that pertains to jobs in another “unit of government.” That section does not require people to list how much they earned.
She did not list the side jobs in a different section — which appears earlier in the document — that asks about compensation that was greater than $7,500. The rules require such jobs to be disclosed in both sections.
Yet, Rivera’s work for the public university exceeded that threshold twice, including once after she was appointed a commissioner.
University records show she taught a course about conflict management in 2023 and earned $22,500 that year, while she was also collecting her commission salary.
Rivera did not respond to repeated requests from The Center Square to explain why the work was partially omitted on her disclosures. She also fled a commission meeting when The Center Square tried to question her about the commission’s work last month.
The disclosure forms warn that those who knowingly file a false or incomplete report might be subject to fines of up to $2,500 and imprisonment of up to one year.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office collects and publishes the disclosures — which are called statements of economic interest — and it can levy fines for late or absent filings. But it said investigations that pertain to the disclosures’ contents are conducted by the Attorney General’s office and declined to comment further.
AG staff in the state and Cook County offices declined to comment for this article.
Rivera taught classes in 2021, 2023 and 2024 on conflict management and local government law. Before her appointment to the commission, she was chief legal council for Chicago’s city clerk.
Her work for the university paid $18,000 in 2021, $22,500 in 2023 and about $6,000 in 2024, university records show. Her disclosures for 2021 and 2023 do not list the work in the section for incomes in excess of $7,500.
Disclosures that are filed starting this year have a higher threshold of $8,700.
Other commissioners
Three other commissioners have worked other jobs after they were appointed, including those that paid more than $7,500, The Center Square found. Those jobs were in the private sector so details of the pay were not readily available through open records requests.
Commissioner Bruce Montgomery earned more than $7,500 in 2023 from Sunshine Enterprises, where he coached business entrepreneurs. Publicly available information also indicates he runs a digital media company and hosts a weekly television news show.
Commission Chairperson Nina Harris reported more than $7,500 of income in 2023 from the Springfield Urban League — her previous employer — for human resources work.
Commissioner Richard Costes directed a play last year in Chicago and is also the co-founder of a business that hosts role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons at bars and other places.
None of the commissioners have responded to interview requests in recent months about their work, including an in-person request last month after their monthly meeting in Chicago.
Jared Strong is an investigative reporter for The Center Square based in the Midwest. He is a lifelong Iowan who has worked for news organizations – big and small – for more than 20 years. He and his wife have three children, a small flock of chickens and an old Case tractor.
