City's Pest Control Chief One-Upped by Cockroach

A big cockroach embarrassed a Chicago official in charge of pest control when it took a stroll near him in full view of some aldermen, and its stunt just might have cost it and its buddies their lives. After Thursday's hearing in the City Council chambers, Fleet and Facilities Management Commissioner David Reynolds had his office call a private contractor to come down to City Hall and do some exterminating. The cockroach couldn't have picked a worse time to show its antenna on the wall of the City Council chambers: just as Reynolds was testifying during a budget hearing.

Alderman Brendan Reilly wondered aloud how much money in Reynolds' department budget was devoted to pest control. "I was mortified," Reynolds told reporters after the laughter died down. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Reynolds says he's proud of the condition of the city's facilities, before adding that there is no way a 103-year-old building with lots of places for bugs to hide is ever going to be pest-free. "We often just end up chasing them around," he says. (More Chicago stories.)