A former Chicago Public Schools student sent a letter to the CPS inspector general last week.
“I experienced sexual grooming behavior by a former CPS employee and supervisor, Hilario Dominguez, in 2017 at the Resurrection Project,” she wrote, according to the Chicago Tribune.
When she was 17 years old, she alleges Dominguez asked her what kind of men she liked and later lifted her up by her waist. “My breasts, my legs, everything was pressed against his body,” she said. “I froze.”
Dominguez is the former Chicago Teachers Union political director turned candidate for school board president. And he denies these allegations, which have dominated headlines in the run-up to the Nov. 3 school board elections.
Less discussed is another part of the same letter from the alleged victim to the inspector general’s office: “I am writing to share my anger, frustration, and disappointment, but most importantly, the deep sense of injustice I faced as a result of your poor conduct in relation to this investigation.”
The office’s governance structure calls into question its ability to impartially investigate these serious claims against Dominguez.
Candidates for school board, and Mayor Brandon Johnson, should be saying so.
Potential conflicts of interest in investigating allegations against Dominguez
The current CPS inspector general, Philip Wagenknecht, was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson in January 2025. And the IG’s office reports directly to the Chicago school board, where Johnson has appointed the majority of members, including the board president.
Johnson, like Dominguez, was formerly a political organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union. The union and its affiliates are the top financial backers of their respective campaigns.
“I support Hilario Dominguez,” Johnson said in a press conference when asked about the allegations.
Dominguez’s lawyer, Larry Suffredin, has called the allegations “proven false.” Suffredin is a CTU lobbyist.
Wagenknecht is certified by the Association of Inspectors General, whose “Green Book” is the national standard for state and local IGs. There several standards from the book that are relevant in this case (emphasis added):
Appearance of independence: “The inspector general and OIG staff should consider not only whether they are independent and whether their own attitudes and beliefs permit them to be independent, but also whether there is anything about their situation which might lead others to question their independence.”
Placement: “The OIG’s location in the governmental structure should allow it to exercise independence in fact and appearance from operations, programs, policies, and procedures over which the OIG has authority.”
Independent counsel: “The OIG should have on staff, or have access to, legal counsel to advise the OIG, independent of the agency or jurisdiction subject to the OIG’s oversight.”
The board resolution on Wagenknecht’s appointment includes provisions allowing him to seek outside counsel in cases where conflicts of interest may arise.
Board members should support that.
Who’s calling for an independent investigation?
At least eight school board candidates have either called for an independent investigation of this matter or called on Dominguez to step out of the race:
District 1B: Michelle Pierre
District 2B: Kyna Lenhof
District 3A: Pete Gonzales
District 4A: Ellen Sherratt
District 5A: LaPamela Williams
District 6A: Isaiah White
District 7A: Jesus Ayala
District 10B: Patrick Watson
And at least two mayoral candidates have called for independent investigations.
Matt Brewer: “The mayor should insist on an independent, transparent investigation and make clear that protecting students comes before protecting a political ally.”
Susana Mendoza: “The mayor and the CPS IG have lost our trust on this matter. I urge Mayor Johnson, the CPS Board and the City Council to call for an independent investigator on the serious allegations involving Mr. Dominguez and the IG’s handling of the investigation.”
The Dominguez allegations raise other legal questions
The potential for conflicts of interest in this case extends beyond the inspector general’s office.
The same lawyers provide services to Chicago school board members and all of the district’s departments. That means if Dominguez were to win election, the CPS law department might need to represent him in the IG’s investigation. But those same attorneys are the default counsel for the IG’s office, as well.
Regardless of the election outcome, the newly elected Chicago school board would be wise to hire independent board counsel reporting to the board, rather than sharing legal resources with the district (and the IG’s office) as a whole.
This is a common practice in other large school districts across the country.
In August, Denver’s school board voted to hire outside counsel to avoid potential conflicts of interest in negotiating a new contract with the superintendent. School boards in Miami, Austin, and New Orleans each have their own counsel, too.
In the news
Brandon Johnson vetoes debt limit: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday vetoed an ordinance requiring a 30-vote supermajority in City Council to borrow money. No big city has fewer borrowing limits than Chicago. And no big city has a lower credit rating, either. The council needs 34 votes to override Johnson’s veto. The ordinance passed with 32 votes, but there were three absences.
Illinois House makes history with city charter hearing: State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, announced the Illinois House Executive Committee will hold a subject matter hearing on a city charter for Chicago: Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. in the Bilandic Building.1 Chicago is the only major city in the country without a charter, which functions like a constitution and serves as the city’s foundational governing document. This will be the first public hearing of its kind in at least a century.2
For background on city charters, see:
“Guide for Charter Commissions: Sixth Edition,” National Civic League.
“Kam Buckner: The next mayor of Chicago has a reform mandate,” State Rep. Kam Buckner, Chicago Tribune, March 1, 2023.
“Faith leaders: Chicago lacks checks and balances to executive power,” Otis Moss III et al., Chicago Tribune, October 27, 2024.
“One City, 50 Wards: Does the City That Works Actually Work?,” Crain’s Chicago Business and University of Chicago Center for Effective Government, 2023.
“What is a City Charter, and How Could Having One Help Chicago?” Civic Federation, July 2, 2025.
“The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities,” Ed Bachrach and Austin Berg, Southern Illinois University Press, 2019.
“Episode 3: City Charters,” The New Chicago Way Podcast, 2019. Interview with Eric Lane and Raphael Sonenshein, the leaders of successful charter revision commissions in New York City (1989) and Los Angeles (1999), respectively.
“It’s a beautiful day to be a Chicagoan: Opening remarks at the Chicago Charter Symposium,” Austin Berg, March 30, 2025
“I Want to Be Mayor and Want Mayors to Have Less Power,” Rep. Mike Quigley, Substack, July 13, 2026.