One West Side ward has a leadership void to fill following Monday’s guilty plea by Isaac Carothers on federal bribery and fraud charges.
One West Side ward has a leadership void to fill following Monday’s guilty plea by Isaac Carothers on federal bribery and fraud charges. The plea required the 29th Ward alderman to resign. Carothers admitted Monday that he accepted $40,000 worth of home improvements from a developer in exchange for pushing a zoning change through the City Council. Hours later, the 55-year-old Carothers submitted a letter resigning his post on the council, where he was the longtime chairman of the police and fire committee. Prosecutors have agreed to a 28-month prison sentence as long as Carothers continues to cooperate with their investigation. That’s well below federal sentencing guidelines. Authorities have accused developer Calvin Boender of paying the bribes. Boender has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges. Shortly after Carothers plea, a group of West Side ministers began lining up his replacement. “We are urging the mayor to appoint the Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch as alderman of the 29th Ward. It is time for our community to have a leader that believes in accountability and independence as virtues,” said Rev. Ira Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Baptist Church, 1256 N. Waller. Hatch is pastor of New Pilgrim Baptist Church and is an uncompromising defender of morality, truth and social justice, added Acree. Under state law, Mayor Richard M. Daley must now appoint someone to complete Carothers’ term, which ends next year. Both the mayor and Carothers declined comment. First elected to the City Council in 1999, Carothers previously worked for the city of Chicago in several capacities, such as superintendent for the city’s Department of Water, director of Internal Audit for the Chicago Park District and deputy commissioner of Streets and Sanitation Department. The husband and father hails from a family with years of public service work. His father, William Carothers, is a former 28th Ward alderman and his grandfather is a former state representative. His aunt, Cook County circuit court Judge Anita Rivkin-Carothers, once defended Gangster Disciple leader Larry Hoover and white supremacist Matthew Hale while in private practice. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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