A politically connected Cook County Forest Preserve employee hired by Board President Toni Preckwinkle resigned Friday after being confronted about discrepancies in his resume, county officials said.John O’Sullivan, the Worth Township Democratic committeeman, served a short stint as a state lawmaker before Preckwinkle in May named him to an $85,000-a-year post as a regional superintendent at the forest preserve.
Preckwinkle, who ran as a reformer, faced criticism for hiring O'Sullivan, who according to an inspector general's report had been fired from a previous county job for falsifying his time cards. Preckwinkle said then that her concerns were alleviated because he had later been rehired with back pay.
General Superintendent Arnold Randall said Friday that media reports and "other concerns" prompted officials to re-examine O'Sullivan's work history, which included more than 20 years in operations and maintenance at the county hospital system.
“We went back and looked at John’s resume and found some discrepancies,” Randall said. “We discussed those issues and he offered his resignation and we accepted.”
O’Sullivan did not immediately return a message left at his home.
