City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin fires 4 employees, including chief of staffon November 23, 2020 at 4:50 am

City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin terminated four of her employees, including her chief of staff, in a surprise move the week before Thanksgiving.

On Friday, Conyears-Ervin informed four of her employees that they had been fired, a spokesperson confirmed Sunday.

Conyears-Ervin said the personnel changes were done in order “to create a better fit between our agenda and the personnel needed to carry it out.”

“While coming into office 18 months ago I could not have foreseen the challenges of the last months,” Conyears-Ervin said in a written statement. “That said, it’s been both challenging and exciting as we have created programs to enhance the well-being of both the City and its residents. …

“The four people let go have served us well, with dignity and proficiency and we wish them well. That said, it is time to move forward.”

A native of Englewood, Conyears-Ervin served two terms as a state representative before she was elected city treasurer in April 2019. She most notably got into a tiff with Mayor Lori Lightfoot last year after the mayor stripped away Conyears-Ervin’s police bodyguard detail. Conyears-Ervin ultimately hired private security at the taxpayers’ expense, the Sun-Times reported at the time.

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