While the Board of Commissioners noted that they vetoed the program because they wanted to wait until the new human resources manager was hired and not because they objected to it, as previously reported by The Chicago Tribune, the council did not deem it necessary to wait.
The council in January launched a new paid parental leave program for its employees, which permits mothers and fathers up to two weeks off after a baby's birth or after a child is adopted.
Waiting for a new HR manager does not change the fact that it is the council's responsibility to put in place policies and procedures, says Councilman Jamal Washington (D-Merrillville). "I think we should dictate what we want," Washington says. But in vetoing the program, Commissioner Kyle Allen Sr. (D-Gary) says "it is important that the incoming human resources director weigh in."