Opinion ID: 3003137
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Department of Aviation Position

Text: The fourth and final position for which Stephens applied was Manager of Vehicle Maintenance at O’Hare International Airport.6 Stephens was one of four candidates interviewed by Defendant William Lonergan, the 5 Stephens’s resume grouped his previous positions with the City into one entry, which was dated “10/79 to Present.” He did not indicate when he served in each position. At the time of the interviews, Stephens had not worked in a supervisory role since 1987. 6 Although the record is not clear on whether this position fell within Fleet or the Aviation Department, the parties do not dispute that the interviewers for this job were supervisors in the Aviation Department, nor, as we mention below, that Commissioner Picardi was not the final hiring authority for this position. 8 No. 08-1416 Deputy Commissioner of the Aviation Department. Lonergan had never met Stephens before the interview, did not know of Stephens’s prior complaints against the City, and did not discuss Stephens’s application with Commissioner Picardi. After asking each candidate the same questions, Lonergan rated Walter West the highest. Lonergan explained that West had greater budgetary and supervisory experience, which included serving as Stephens’s supervisor for a time. Lonergan rated Stephens much lower, expressing particular concern over Stephens’s demeanor. Unlike the other three job openings, Commissioner Picardi was not the final hiring authority for this position. That person was John Roberson, the Commissioner of the Aviation Department, and he also interviewed West. Roberson considered West to be the best qualified candidate and subsequently hired him. Roberson did not know Stephens, nor did he know about any of his prior complaints against the City, and he did not discuss the open position with Commissioner Picardi. Stephens notes some questionable circumstances surrounding West’s promotion. In late September 2004, a few weeks before the October 12 interviews, a group of coworkers held a going-away party for West. West allegedly informed his coworkers that he had been hired for a job at O’Hare. He then assumed his position on October 14, just two days after the interview. When asked about the questionable timing, West explained that he interviewed previously for an airport manager position in the spring of 2004, and he was told that No. 08-1416 9 he would get the job pending some paperwork. Lonergan and Roberson recalled interviewing for the airport manager position, but Lonergan could not recall offering the job to West or anyone else.