Politics
City Council Committee Advances Mayor’s Pick to Serve as Chicago’s Watchdog
David Glockner, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to serve as inspector general, addresses the Ethics and Government Oversight Committee on May 19, 2026. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to serve as the city’s watchdog won the endorsement of a key Chicago City Council committee Tuesday, as former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Glockner vowed to “prioritize problem-solving over finger-pointing.”
The City Council’s Ethics and Government Oversight Committee unanimously approved the nomination of Glockner to serve as inspector general, setting up a final vote by the full City Council on Wednesday.
Glockner said he would focus his efforts on areas “that matter most for the effective, equitable and efficient delivery of city services” and use his office’s audit authority to probe the “most significant risks.”
“I think there is an opportunity to ensure that the (Office of the Inspector General’s) body work is more consistently focused on topics where the potential for impact and value for policymakers is greatest,” Glockner said, adding that he sees the city’s finances as an area “where I see the big opportunity to do things differently.”
In addition, Glockner said he would work to speed up the office’s probes.
“While investigations and audits must be thorough, they lose value and impact when they take longer than necessary,” Glockner said.
Glockner has spent most of his career in the public sector, serving for four years as the regional director of the Securities and Exchange Commission and nearly 25 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois, where he served as the chief of the criminal division from 2002 to 2012.
“The nature of the inspector general’s office is that the news that I will have to share will not always be good,” Glockner said. “Sometimes it will be uncomfortable, and sometimes it will even prompt disagreement. But by objectively and fairly identifying places where we can do better, providing accountability and enabling more informed decisions by the city’s policymakers, the (Office of the Inspector General) will play a part in our collective effort to build a better Chicago.”
Several members of the committee appeared perplexed that someone with Glockner’s distinguished resume would want to serve as Chicago’s inspector general, likely earning approximately $200,000 annually.
“I won’t ask you for the answer again, but I did ask why on Earth would you want to do this job?” Ald. Nicole Lee (11th Ward) said. “It is not an enviable position by any stretch of the imagination. So, I do believe I feel a lot of what my colleagues have said about your breadth of experience and how lucky we are to have someone like you, with all of this experience to come in and take on this role.”
Glockner worked for Exelon, ComEd’s parent company, from March 2020 until December 2025, and oversaw the firm’s efforts to comply with a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors that resulted from the scandal that sent former House Speaker Michael Madigan to prison after being convicted of 10 charges of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud.
Glockner declined to comment directly on previous investigations conducted by the inspector general’s office, offering alderpeople measured, lawyerly responses honed during his tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Glockner assured members of the committee that his office would operate “independent of political and outside influences” and said Johnson had assured him that he would not interfere with his work.
“I value those comments, and those assurances, and in return, my commitment to you is that while I will act independently, I will use that independence constructively, recognizing that an appropriate working relationship is the best way to achieve our shared goal of a better Chicago,” Glockner said.
Former Inspector General Deborah Witzburg declined to seek a second term as inspector general after she repeatedly clashed with Johnson over a number of issues, including efforts to rid the Chicago Police Department of officers with ties to extremist groups and the mayor’s reporting of gifts.
Witzburg is now the chief of staff to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Glockner said he would ensure that the inspector general’s office during his tenure will “hold itself to the same standards of conduct, effectiveness and transparency that we demand of others.”
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
