City planning for a 2020 implosion of the former Crawford coal plant smokestack in Little Village was flawed, an investigation later found.
Alejandro Reyes
A city official who was found negligent after an investigation into the 2020 coal plant implosion in Little Village that left the community blanketed in dust is now leading the city’s department responsible for making sure buildings are safe.
Marlene Hopkins was named acting commissioner of the Department of Buildings after her former boss was fired by Mayor Brandon Johnson last week.
Almost four years ago on Easter weekend, Hopkins and another buildings department official were in charge of making sure that the implosion of an almost 400-foot chimney was performed safely. Their plan failed, an investigation later found.
Instead, Hopkins and the other official failed to put a plan in place that would have prevented the dust-cloud mishap even “in the face of information that an implosion posed a high risk of environmental harm to the neighboring Little Village community,” former Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson wrote in a once-secret report that the Sun-Times made public last year.
The actions by Hopkins and the other official, then-Chief Building Inspector Jorge Herrera “constituted poor public administration and a negligent dereliction of regulatory responsibility and duty,” Ferguson added.
Hopkins, a city employee for more than 25 years, was the top building official overseeing the implosion of the former Crawford power plant on Pulaski Road just north of the Stevenson Expressway.
Ferguson recommended both Hopkins and Herrera be disciplined, but former Mayor Lori Lightfoot chose not to do so. Ferguson also recommended the firing of a city public health official, Dave Graham, for his part in the bungled planning of the implosion, though Lightfoot also ignored that advice. Neither Lightfoot nor Johnson have officially released the Ferguson report on Crawford.
In light of the appointment, Johnson should officially release the Ferguson report, said Kim Wasserman, executive director of Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.
“How is a community or city to trust this administration?” Wasserman asked. “Accountability is important.”
The Crawford plant was being demolished to make way for a more than 1 million square foot warehouse that is now being leased to retailer Target. Lightfoot pushed through changes to city law related to planning for large demolitions but insisted that the developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners, rather than City Hall, was to blame for the mishap.
In fact, Lightfoot promoted Hopkins just months after the Crawford implosion when she named Matthew Beaudet the commissioner for Buildings. Beaudet was ousted by Johnson last week.
A City Hall spokesman confirmed the appointment, which is not a permanent position. Johnson has not nominated a permanent commissioner. Hopkins couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Hilco recently agreed to a $12.25 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by Little Village residents for the dust storm that coated homes, yards and other property surrounding Crawford.
The buildings department website, which still listed Beaudet as the commissioner Friday morning, highlights its safety mission.
“The Department of Buildings enhances safety and quality of life for Chicago’s residents and visitors through permitting, inspections, trade licensing and code enforcement,” a statement at the top of the site reads.