Lightfoot dumps longtime City Hall spokesman Bill McCaffrey amid ethics dispute

City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. | Colin Boyle/Sun-Times

Longtime City Hall spokesman Bill McCaffrey was fired Friday after raising ethical concerns with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office.

A source close to the ex-spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times McCaffrey was abruptly escorted out of the city Law Department office, where he worked as the $126,504-per-year public affairs director.

He had expressed concern about the Lightfoot administration’s approach to certain issues, though it’s not clear what those issues were, the source said.

Lightfoot’s office denied any ethics issue played a role in McCaffrey’s termination.

“The Mayor takes all allegations around ethics very seriously, as this has been a cornerstone of her administration,” the mayor’s office said in a statement Saturday. “Mr. McCaffrey was terminated for cause.”

Bill McCaffrey.

Lightfoot’s office wouldn’t specify the cause, “as this is a personnel matter.”

Reached Saturday, McCaffrey declined to comment on his firing.

In his role with the law department, McCaffrey had provided the news media with comments on lawsuits and other high-profile litigation involving the city, including the Laquan McDonald and Jussie Smollett scandals.

In some 15 years at City Hall, he also served as chief spokesman for a handful of other city agencies under three mayoral administrations dating back to 2006. That included stints with the former Department of Consumer Services, the Department of Buildings and Chicago Public Schools, plus serving as a top communications aide to former mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel.

“He was never shy to tell you if he thought the city was about to do something he thought was a mistake,” said a former city staffer who asked not to be named. “That might’ve rubbed some people the wrong way, but that’s honest feedback you need.”

McCaffrey’s ouster follows summer turnover at the top of Lightfoot’s communications team. The freshman mayor’s first communications director, Marielle Sainvilus, abruptly resigned in mid-August, barely three months into Lightfoot’s term.

Sainvilus was replaced by Michael Crowley.