CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot isn’t saying much about news reports that the head of the Chicago Park District delayed acting on a lifeguard’s complaints of serious sexual harassment.
The news reports state Park District General Superintendent Michael Kelly received an 11-page letter from a lifeguard detailing extensive sexual harassment during the summer of 2019. He reportedly assured her the allegations would be taken seriously, but the reports state he waited six weeks before forwarding them to the District’s Inspector General.
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Mayor Lightfoot was asked if she thought he improperly delayed an investigation. She was very careful not to directly address Kelly’s actions, but said the District had addressed the issues.
"When these allegations arise, they have to be taken seriously and action has to be swift so I feel like they have taken the steps that are necessary, but we can never rest on issues like this. Unfortunately, we know that programs where youth gather are magnets for predators and we've got to be constantly diligent to make sure that our kids know what their rights are, that our parents know what their rights are, that we have an avenue for children and their parents to report, but when those reports happen, we have to take them seriously and act swiftly," Lightfoot said.
Still, she repeatedly said allegations like this should be handled with a sense of urgency.