Cook County ethics board calls for Joe Berrios to fire relatives in his office

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the board determined Berrios violated the county's ethics ordinance by hiring his son Joey and his sister Carmen.

The board recommends Berrios fire both relatives.

Berrios released a statement Tuesday afternoon fighting back. It reads in part: "Previous state's attorney's opinions dating back to 1994 have concluded that the county's ethics ordinance does not apply to independently elected officials, and we believe the same is true in this matter."

• Read the full statement from Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios (pdf)