This story was produced by the Better Government Association, a nonprofit news organization based in Chicago.
CHICAGO — The leader of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s signature anti-violence initiative no longer works for the city, records show.
Tamara Mahal, who had led the fledgling Community Safety Coordination Center, left her post as senior adviser to Lightfoot as of Oct. 20, according to a city document obtained through an open records request.
Her exit came 2 1/2 months after a Better Government Association report showed that the city’s optimistic rhetoric about the new initiative outweighed the substance of its work and Mahal had made false statements about her past accomplishments.
City spokespeople have declined to give the BGA information about her departure or who will lead the anti-violence effort. Rumors of her exit have spread since mid-September but city spokespeople have repeatedly not answered basic questions about Mahal’s departure.
That silence continued even after Oct. 17, when Dr. Allison Arwady, whose public health department is heavily involved with the city’s anti-violence programs, told aldermen at a public hearing the initiative was now being led by Greg Martinez, not Mahal. Arwady said the mayor’s office was continuing to consider who would lead the effort going forward.
Mahal could not be reached for comment.
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