Agenda was posted online [] w/ two items. 1) Approval of January 30th Rule 45 report and 2) Appointment of Sandra Blakemore as Commissioner of Dept of Human Resources. chicago.documenters.org/documents/agen…

1) Rule 45 report is approved from January 30th meeting, covered by @sofiainchicago : [] https://twitter.com/sofiainchicago/status/1752408909904765007

Sandra Blakemore speaks to confirm her commitment to the role and connecting sectors of the city, hoping to create an equitable hiring process.

Alder Curtis asks about the state of applications, particularly when job seekers put in 15-20 applications with no response back on any of them.

Blakemore responds that there are administrative hurdles, that the city requires ‘testing’ on some roles, but would like to remove testing that isn't adding value. Testing adds 6-8 weeks onto hiring process.

Since early January, Blakemore has filled 2 deputy roles, is currently onboarding recruiting managers, and several onboarding specialists. HR is ‘aggressively hiring’ to make sure things are in order.

Audio is quite choppy at this point. Alder Coleman thanks Blakemore publicly on behalf of the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus. Coleman references the current antiquated systems, which are problematic for the department, Blakemore, and the city at large.

Black and brown people make up a significant part of the Chicago workforce, so its important to make sure the city is using the right tech and data to employ.

Blakemore agrees that the city can do more interdepartmentally. Considering that the US is experiencing record low unemployment rates, and Gen Z’s inclination for mission-driven work, there is much to upgrade in positioning the city as an employer.

2) Sandra Blakemore is appointed as Commissioner of Department of Human Resources.

With no further business, meeting is adjourned at 12:47 PM.