Chicago Inspector General Report Ties Former City Official to Unapproved Contractor Payments and Nepotism Allegations

Chicago’s inspector general has linked former Chief Operating Officer Paul Goodrich, who served under ex-Mayor Lori Lightfoot, to a series of actions involving unapproved contractor payments and the hiring of his son by a city vendor. The findings surfaced in a report released by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg last week and were substantiated by sources identifying Goodrich and Chicago businessman Robert Blackwell Jr. as the central figures.

The report alleges that Goodrich used his position at City Hall to help secure a paid internship for his son with EKI-Digital, a contractor headed by Blackwell. The internship reportedly ran from June 2022 through May 2023, ending as current Mayor Brandon Johnson took office. Inspector general investigators concluded that, while Goodrich’s son was interning at EKI-Digital, Goodrich attempted to expand the company’s city contract scope, permitted unauthorized work, and tried to push forward $9.6 million in payments deemed unwarranted.

According to city officials, the additional work Goodrich approved in early 2023 with EKI-Digital had not been authorized by the city’s Department of Technology and Innovation. After the unauthorized scope was discovered, the city entered a settlement agreement with Blackwell to avoid litigation. In response to the incident, Johnson’s administration adopted new vendor oversight measures intended to prevent non-contracted work going forward.

Further scrutiny by the inspector general found EKI-Digital’s invoices exhibited both intentional and negligent irregularities and failed to comply with procurement procedures. Communications documented in the report show ongoing discussions between Goodrich, Blackwell, and the City Hall law department regarding these issues.

The city’s procurement services department has since started proceedings to disbar Blackwell from future city contracts, following recommendations from the inspector general's office. Despite these allegations, EKI-Digital has continued some consulting work for City Hall under separate agreements.

Neither Goodrich nor Blackwell have commented publicly. Former Mayor Lightfoot’s office stated she was not previously aware of the investigation, while Johnson emphasized that the issues stemmed from the previous administration. As of this week, it remains unclear if the allegations have been referred to federal authorities. The city continues to review contracting processes as the investigation unfolds.