Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration fired three city staffers following complaints that they had been mistreated by high-ranking officials, underscoring the rocky transition that took place between former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration and the current one. 

Two days after Johnson was inaugurated in May, Jason Lee, one of his top advisers, allegedly walked into the press aide’s office and threw a tantrum that the digital team, made up of Lightfoot holdovers, did not post a picture on social media of Johnson at the NBA Draft Combine, a three-day event showcasing NBA draft hopefuls, according to an official complaint filed by former deputy director of digital strategy Dora Meza with the state’s human rights department and the city inspector general.

Meza purportedly told an increasingly agitated Lee that the media team had purposely held off on posting the pictures of the mayor at the basketball event because they were livestreaming the funeral of a slain police officer. Meza later claimed Lee had “raised his voice, used profane language, rolled his eyes, and kept holding his head in his hands,” when she told him why they hadn’t posted the Combine pictures. 

Meza and another employee, Azhley Rodriguez, told their boss at the time, Josué Ortiz, that they were bothered and upset by the way Lee spoke to them. They later claimed they were retaliated against and were purposely left out of the loop on work-related matters.

“One word to summarize it would definitely be degrading,” Rodriguez said. “It was really disappointing. We expected more from people who speak so highly of themselves and say they’re for the people but the people they’re working with they don’t really care about.”

Lee has denied the severity of the situation, referring to it as an “alleged incident” to the Chicago Tribune, and also denied being involved in their termination. 

“As far as the alleged incident between me and the former employees two days into our administration, I recall the details differently, both in terms of the reason for the discussion and the characterization of my actions,” Lee said. “Nevertheless the one-time engagement was only minutes long, and by the former employees’ own account, was not the substance of their complaints with regards to their management over two months later.”

Lee has earned a reputation as a “major power player” in the Johnson administration, the Chicago Tribune reported. Unlike other press officers from administrations of the past, Lee is a lot more visible, agrees to on-the-record interviews, and is also referred to by some as “Mayor Lee” because of the power he wields over city plans. He’s also made headlines for getting into verbal altercations with aldermen but chalked it up to politics. 

However, Lee isn’t the only Johnson administration official who has allegedly targeted the Lightfoot hires. 

Meza claimed she and Rodriguez complained to City Hall following a July 2023 meeting her boss, Ortiz, had with Mondine Harding of the mayor’s office about press secretary Ronnie Reese. 

“Ronnie told Josué that he liked him and had his back,” Meza wrote. “When Josué asked about me and Azhley Rodriguez, Ronnie responded by saying the two of us needed to work harder. Ronnie did not provide any measurable feedback for me and Azhley to improve upon. Also during this conversation, Ronnie told Josué that Azhley and I laugh too much. When Josué asked to clarify, Ronnie said that we needed to work harder. In contrast, Ronnie would joke with male colleagues.”

Meza and Rodriguez met with Harding who instructed them to meet with chief of staff Rich Guidice, a meeting that was postponed until August. When they finally met, they were told the mayor’s office was restructuring and asked to resign.

Meza, Rodriguez, and Ortiz were fired on Aug. 9. The firings were followed up by a letter telling them they were being placed on a do-not-hire list, which is typically reserved for extremely problematic employees. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The employees have appealed their firings and their place on the list.

The city claims the employees left their jobs without handing over their passwords to crucial files, something the employees have denied. 

It is unclear what the next steps are in the process or whether the former employees will be eligible for rehire in other administrations.