City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin fires 4 employees, including chief of staff

City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin terminated four of her employees, including her chief of staff, in a surprise move the week before Thanksgiving.

On Friday, Conyears-Ervin informed four of her employees that they had been fired, a spokesperson confirmed Sunday.

Conyears-Ervin said the personnel changes were done in order “to create a better fit between our agenda and the personnel needed to carry it out.”

“While coming into office 18 months ago I could not have foreseen the challenges of the last months,” Conyears-Ervin said in a written statement. “That said, it’s been both challenging and exciting as we have created programs to enhance the well-being of both the City and its residents. ...

“The four people let go have served us well, with dignity and proficiency and we wish them well. That said, it is time to move forward.”

A native of Englewood, Conyears-Ervin served two terms as a state representative before she was elected city treasurer in April 2019. She most notably got into a tiff with Mayor Lori Lightfoot last year after the mayor stripped away Conyears-Ervin’s police bodyguard detail. Conyears-Ervin ultimately hired private security at the taxpayers’ expense, the Sun-Times reported at the time.