 Inspector General's Office
Tracy M. Smith, Inspector General
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As part of Governor Rod Blagojevich’s reform agenda, and to maintain the public’s trust in the administration and operation of the Illinois Tollway, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Illinois Tollway has been created.
The Inspector General is empowered to root out and fairly investigate all instances of waste, inefficiencies, fraud, corruption, and mismanagement in the day-to-day operations of the Illinois Tollway.
Governor Blagojevich has appointed Tracy M. Smith as the Illinois Tollway’s Inspector General. Ms. Smith has extensive experience from an array of public advocacy and public policy positions after serving as the Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Chicago. At the League, she advocated for government reforms that improved transparency and monitored the election system to investigate, identify and minimize election fraud in Chicago. She served on the Cook County Clerk's and Chicago Board of Elections' Voter Services Committees, the Cook County Clerk's 2004 Election Equipment Selection Committee and the Chicago Bar Association's Election Law Committee. Ms. Smith has trained volunteers, campaign workers, and Assistant Illinois Attorneys General on election law and procedures, fraud risks, and techniques for addressing fraud.
Ms. Smith holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and received her Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul Law School in Chicago where she was a member of Law Review.
About the Office
Mission Statement
The mission of the OIG is to ensure
integrity and accountability in the day-to-day operations of the Illinois Tollway by conducting fair
and thorough investigations into reports and allegations of waste,
inefficiencies, fraud, corruption, mismanagement, and misconduct. To this end,
the OIG shall timely investigate complaints, allegations, or actions evidencing
violations of law, rule or regulation, abuse of authority, gross or aggravated
misconduct, or misconduct that may be criminal in nature, by Board members,
executive management, senior staff, and all other employees (collectively,
“Tollway employees”), contractors and/or vendors of the Illinois Tollway.
Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the OIG extends to Tollway employees,
contractors, and vendors. As a general rule, the OIG does not become involved
in cases involving private disputes, labor-management issues, or litigation.
Matters investigated by the OIG may also fall within the jurisdiction of other
agencies (i.e., Illinois State Police, District 15, other law enforcement
investigators, prosecuting authorities, Office of the Executive Inspector
General, or other inspectors general, etc.). In such cases, the Inspector
General may make a referral to or work together with other agencies to
investigate complaints.
Reporting
Periodically, a report of the OIG’s activities
(i.e., new, pending, and concluded investigations, complaints, referrals,
internal control evaluations, etc.) shall be provided to the Executive
Inspector General for the Governor’s Office and, where appropriate, the
Illinois Tollway’s directors and executive director. The report may include
recommendations for the Illinois Tollway to consider in addressing and avoiding
the recurrence of any violations uncovered by the investigation. When
appropriate, a report of investigation may also be forwarded to a prosecuting agency
for review to determine whether the underlying facts are sufficient to support
a criminal prosecution.
Confidentiality
Individuals are welcome to contact the OIG with information regarding waste,
inefficiencies, fraud, corruption, mismanagement, and misconduct. It is the
OIG’s practice to maintain the names of complainants in confidence. Although
not encouraged, information provided anonymously shall be accepted and
processed in accordance with the OIG’s standards and procedures.
Due to the confidentiality of the matters under investigation, complainants are
not normally apprised of the progress of investigations or reviews and may not
be informed about the disposition of an investigation or review.
Records of ongoing investigations of the OIG are not public records.
It is the general policy of the OIG to neither confirm nor deny the existence
of an investigation or review prior to disposition of the matter by the
Inspector General.
Public employees are subject to whistleblower protection.
Hotline
Complaints or reports of waste, inefficiencies, fraud, corruption,
mismanagement, and misconduct may be reported to the OIG through the Illinois
Tollway OIG Hotline at 1-866-7TOLL-IG or 1-866-786-5544 or delivered to
the following address:
Office of the Inspector General
Illinois Tollway
2700 Ogden Avenue
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515
(630) 241-6800 ext. 1300
(866) 786-5544 (Hotline Number)
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