Chicago Civic Fed names former city inspector general as new president

The Chicago Civic Federation Tuesday named the city’s former inspector general, Joseph Ferguson, to serve as its new president, replacing long-time and high-profile former president Laurence Msall, who died in February.

Ferguson, 63, joins the non-partisan watchdog and research organization after a months-long search led by a 15-member committee. He was selected from a pool of 40 candidates, the Civic Federation said in a press release announcing the hire.

“Replacing a legendary figure like Laurence was a difficult task for all of us,” said Donovan Pepper, chair of the federation’s Board of Directors, in the release. “Joe brings remarkable depth and breadth of experience to our team and has a tremendous passion for ensuring our local and state governments work effectively, efficiently and inclusively for all citizens.”

Ferguson held the position of Chicago’s IG for 12 years, under three mayoral administrations, and built a reputation as an outspoken figure who led investigations into high-profile cases like the city’s handling of the post-George Floyd demonstrations, the police department’s gang database, and the police shooting of teen Laquan McDonald.

Appointed by former Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2009 and reappointed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Ferguson held the post until October 2021, when he stepped down amid a reportedly acrimonious relationship with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

As the city’s IG, Ferguson led a team of approximately 100 legal, financial and data professionals on government performance audits and evaluations of city agencies and programs, according to the Civic Federation.

Before joining the city, Ferguson spent 15 years with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. He was a chief of the office’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Section and a deputy in the Complex Fraud and Financial Crimes Section.

After leaving the IG post, Ferguson has served as the founder and executive director of (re)Chicago, whose “mission is to align Chicago’s governance structure …through a process that institutionalizes good governance and healthy civic engagement,” according to his LinkedIn page. He has also taught at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where he worked with graduate students to “conduct and analyze research on municipal governance nationally and locally.

Sarah Wetmore, the federation’s vice president and research director, had been serving as acting president. Ferguson’s first official day will be Tuesday, January 16th.

The 129-year-old watchdog group publishes in-depth research on the city and its sister agencies, and Cook County budgets, tax policies, pensions and legislation that stands to impact their fiscal health.

It tracks state finances through its initiative — the  Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability — established with grant funding. The federation also annually gives awards for public service.