Scott: Third Prominent Official to Commit Suicide in Two Years
By STEVE BRYANT
Updated 1:38 PM CST, Mon, Nov 16, 2009
Michael Scott's suicide marks the third suicide among prominent public officials in the last two years -- and each of the men were being investigated by authorities or already convicted of wrongdoing.
Scott, former Balgojevich aide Chris Kelly and former Stroger aide Orlando Jones all died by their own hand.
Scott, who was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday morning, was a mover and shaker in Chicago politics and a prominent member of the African-American community here.
Earlier this year, Scott was scrutinized over Olympics-related real estate dealings.
A key member of Mayor Daley's Olympic committee, Scott also served as a consultant to a major condominium developer who proposed to build near the Olympic Village site.
Earlier this summer, Scott moved to sever his ties to another developer after the Tribune revealed his plans to build a retail and housing project near the proposed Olympic cycling venue on the West Side.
Scott's business dealings led residents to suspect that Mayor Daley's friends would profit the most from the proposed 2016 Olympic games, which of course Chicago failed to win.
Also recently, Scott made news when he was subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury looking into the admissions practices of Chicago's elite schools.
Asked at the time whether he was aware of students being unfairly "clouted" into elite schools, Scott said he had no comment, but looked forward to answering any questions.
If Scott did indeed kill himself, he's the second prominent public official with ties to development contracts to commit suicide in recent months.
Former Blagojevich aide Chris Kelly plead guilty in September for participating in an O'Hare kickback scheme. Days later, Kelly overdosed on pain medication.
Kelly was originally indicted on tax charges related to gambling debts.
Kelly and Scott were preceded by Orlando Jones.
Jones, a 52-year-old godson of ex-County Board President John Stroger and former top Stroger aide, shot himself in the head after a business lunch in 2007.
Jones had been under criminal investigation for real estate dealings in Las Vegas. He was approached by FBI agents two days before his death, but declined to speak with them.
First Published: Nov 16, 2009 8:20 AM CST
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