Nearly half of all lobbying fees paid since 2012 by companies with interests at Chicago’s airports went to only three firms, all with deep political connections at City Hall or the Illinois legislature.
| Aviation-interested | All |
|---|---|
| $8.1 million (26% of aviation) | $25.3 million (18% of all) |
Represented powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and is the longtime treasurer of the state Democratic party Madigan controls.
| Aviation-interested | All |
|---|---|
| $2.7 million | $8.5 million |
Clients include: R.M. Chin & Associates, Uber, McDonald’s
| Aviation-interested | All |
|---|---|
| $4.9 million (16% of aviation) | $9.1 million (7% of all) |
Served eight years in the administration of former Mayor Richard M. Daley as a top legislative aide. Until leaving the city in 2009 to become a lobbyist, he helped push for legislation to enable billions in spending for projects at O'Hare.
| Aviation-interested | All |
|---|---|
| $2.9 million | $5.9 million |
Clients include: Lyft, Delta Air Lines, Hertz Global Holdings
| Aviation-interested | All |
|---|---|
| $1.6 million (5% of aviation) | $3.5 million (3% of all) |
Advised Daley as one of his top aides and the longtime head of the now-defunct Hispanic Democratic Organization, a Chicago political action committee shut down in 2008 amid a federal investigation into efforts to turn city employees into a political patronage army.
| Aviation-interested | All |
|---|---|
| $0.8 million | $1.6 million |
Clients include: Parsons Corp., JCDecaux, American Airlines