A sheriff's deputy was passed over for promotion on account of political discrimination and retaliation according to a Chicago jury. DuPage County sheriff John Zaruba and former West Chicago mayor Steve Lakics began a political feud in the mid-1990s. Zaruba tried to get even when he passed over Lakics' wife, Susan Lakics, for promotion, although she had scored highest on the promotion tests and process.
There was also evidence of two other facts that supported Lakics' lawsuit: (1) deputy sheriffs that contributed money to Zaruba's campaigns got promoted faster than those that did not; and, (2) deputy sheriffs that contributed money to Zaruba's campaigns received less severe discipline than those that did not.
Source: Chicago Tribune
