CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Two more of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s top officials are stepping down, one sooner than the other.
Rosa Escareño, Chicago's Commissioner of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, plans to leave her job at the end of the month. As the official who presided over efforts to help businesses forced to shutdown during the pandemic, Escareño has had a very high profile and she would tell you sometimes a 24/7 work schedule.
Escareño has worked for the city for about three decades starting right after high school. She worked for the budget office, the mayor's press office, the fire department, and finally BACP.
She said she planned to retire earlier, but stayed on to help Mayor Lightfoot.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the residents of this great city for over 30 years,” said Commissioner Escareño. “As a lifelong public servant, I have had the great fortune to dedicate my life to making this city a better place. While I am looking forward to retirement and spending more time with my family, it will be a bittersweet day as the sun sets on a career spanning four mayors, seven departments and countless long days and nights giving back to a city that gave me and my family so much. I want to thank Mayor Lightfoot for her mentorship, friendship and incredible leadership, especially during the immense challenges of this last year. I also want to thank Mayor Emanuel and Mayor Daley for pushing me to be the public servant that I became, as well as all my other colleagues including Chicago’s legislative, business and community leaders. I especially want to thank my team at BACP – it has been an honor to work with so many talented public servants and I am confident that the department and the city are in great hands moving forward.”
BACP’s First Deputy Commissioner Kenneth Meyer will serve as Acting Commissioner beginning in August when Escareno leaves.
The other departure is that of Mark Kelly, the head of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, or DCASE. He has held that position for five years and helped move the arts into the neighborhoods.
Kelly will retire this fall.
“I want to thank Mayor Lori Lightfoot and First Lady Amy Eshleman for their support, passion, and commitment to Chicago’s arts community. Make no mistake – the new arts recovery resources we are bringing forward are due to their efforts, along with those of Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar,” said Commissioner Kelly. “I also want to thank former Mayor Rahm Emanuel for making his “out-of-the-box” decision to hire me for this position. Let me also recognize my professional colleagues, for your support, partnership, inspiration, and feedback. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with each and every one of you. Chicago is one of the great cultural capitals and we have collectively strengthened our cultural sector.”
Mayor Lightfoot's office said a national search will be conducted immediately for the new commissioner for DCASE and will conclude ahead of Commissioner Kelly’s retirement in the fall. He will continue to serve as the DCASE Commissioner until the position is filled.
"Time and time again, our city has been challenged in unimaginable ways, with the COVID-19 pandemic being the most recent iteration. But at every step of the way, both Commissioner Kelly and Commissioner Escareño have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure their respective departments were ready to respond to the needs of our residents," said Mayor Lightfoot, in a statement. "Through a collective of nearly four decades worth of hard work and leadership, Commissioner Kelly and Commissioner Escareño have truly made our city a better place and words cannot encapsulate how grateful I am for their personal sacrifice over the past 16 months. I wish them both nothing but the best as they embark on this exciting next chapter of their lives and enjoy their well-earned retirement."
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