Reopened Investigation Into Education Candidate

The Chicago Public Schools inspector general, Philip Wagenknecht, has reopened an investigation into Hilario Dominguez, who is a candidate for the Chicago Board of Education president. This comes months after an initial inquiry into his conduct was closed. The earlier investigation concluded with a report stating ‘not substantiated’ in his case. Wagenknecht confirmed the reopening but did not comment on the specific allegations. He mentioned that they had received new information necessitating further action.

Earlier, attorney Larry Suffredin, representing Dominguez, shared an email from June where the inspector general’s office closed a case against Dominguez, citing insufficient evidence of inappropriate interactions with a student from 2017. The Tribune interviewed the woman involved, who remains unnamed due to her minor status at the time. Dominguez previously held a position as deputy political director for the Chicago Teachers Union and faced past allegations during his campaign, which have re-emerged.

Dominguez expressed understanding about the seriousness of allegations. He emphasized that he respects investigations and participates in due processes. Yet, he mentioned that the outcomes consistently showed the allegations as unfounded. In 2017, an internal report by Paloma Rodriguez, then a housing counselor, documented that a 17-year-old girl spoke of inappropriate language and behavior by Dominguez while she was in a summer program with The Resurrection Project.

The internal report described the girl’s discomfort, noting Dominguez was alone with her on different occasions and made inquiries about her personal life. One instance detailed by the woman involved Dominguez driving her to a work event and making personal comments. She also described an incident where Dominguez lifted her in the office lobby.

The woman showed the Tribune a year-old text from Dominguez acknowledging the allegations and expressing a desire to apologize and talk. Dominguez has not commented on the alleged communication. Multiple former staffers confirmed awareness of the situation during that summer.

Suffredin, Dominguez’s attorney, denied the accuracy of the allegations and warned against continued use of these unproven claims as political attacks. He defended Dominguez as an accomplished organizer and teacher, pointing out the achievements of the women involved in these allegations during their projects.

Dominguez attributed the spread of rumors to a relative of the woman who previously ran against him in an election. The relative denied such claims. Despite Friday’s statement not detailing the reason for reopening the inquiry, the woman explained that she had never been interviewed during the first investigation and has since contacted the inspector general’s office.

Raul Raymundo, CEO of The Resurrection Project, did not respond to inquiries regarding how the allegations were managed. According to the nonprofit’s policy, only Dominguez’s employment period from June 2017 to April 2018 was verified by spokesperson Sylvia Ortiz-Cooper.

The woman explained her decision to speak out was due to concerns about Dominguez’s accountability as he pursues a public office role serving young people. She expressed a desire to regain control over how her story is told. ‘I just want to have a locus of control of myself now, and that’s all I can do,’ she shared.