2 Investigators: County Official’s Family Ties To Contractor Leads To Ethics Probe

November 14, 2011 12:00 AM " CHICAGO (CBS) — You could call it a family affair: A Cook County government official helps oversee the work of a company that employs his relatives.

Does that sound right to you? The Better Government Association and CBS 2′s Pam Zekman didn’t think so. They found it raises questions about a possible waste of taxpayer money and ethical issues that could reach up to the county board president.

Better Government Association logo. (Credit: BGA)

Air conditioning and heating systems in large county buildings require regular maintenance and repair performed by private contractors. Anchor Mechanical Engineering is one of them.

County records show that since 2008, Anchor has been paid more than $13.5 million for work it has bid on.

“The contracts are for repairing heating and cooling units,” says Andy Shaw, executive director of the Better Government Association. “But if I’m a taxpayer of Cook County I’m thinking maybe this isn’t so cool. Maybe I should be heated up over these deals.”

Why? Because a county official who has a role in approving the work and payments made to Anchor has two relatives who work for the company owner.

The county employee, Patrick Nolan, is a $107,432-a-year operating engineer and has been with the county since July 2008. "

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