Campaign chairs and co-chairs to help raise money, workers, support
Melissa Harris
CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL
December 16, 2010
Chicago's leading mayoral candidates have lined up corporate executives to help them raise money.
But some got around to it sooner than others.
"I just accepted this responsibility a week and a half ago," said Willie Wilson, an entrepreneur and former McDonald's franchisee, who is volunteering as U.S. Rep. Danny Davis' finance chairman. "By the end of next week, I should have my arms around this thing."
Meanwhile, front-runner Rahm Emanuel appears to be leading a well-organized backroom operation. Known for his fundraising prowess and work ethic, his campaign co-chairs — seven of them — are tasked with supplying boots on the ground, rather than raising cash.
The single most gratifying thing about this mayor race (to me) will be when Emmanuel crashes and burns, all his cash notwithstanding.
"I was asked to take a formal role a couple of weeks before his announcement," said Robert Kohl, the former chairman of the Center on Halsted and a commercial real estate investor. "My official assignment is outreach to the (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, but I'm able to do fundraising, so I am fundraising as well."
Here are the business and civic leaders who have signed up for formal roles in each campaign. All have the title of campaign "chair" or "co-chair." Exactly how much money each candidate has raised won't be known until late January.
Gery Chico
Norman Bobins, former chief executive of LaSalle Bank; Robert Wislow, CEO, U.S. Equities Realty; Todd Connor, founder, Todd Connor Consulting; and Marty Castro, president, Castro Rioja Enterprises.
Good job of gathering in the financial community - some very heavy hitters.
Davis
Robert Simpson, former president of Teamsters Local 743.
City Clerk Miguel Del Valle
State Sen. Iris Martinez; State Sen. Cynthia Soto; Pastor Fitzgerald Crutcher, Thine Eyes Mission; Kathleen Hogan, Heartland Cafe co-founder; and Dr. Quentin Young, activist and former chairman of medicine at Cook County Hospital.
Emanuel
The Rev. Daniel Alvarez Sr., former commissioner of Chicago's Department of Human Services; Judy Erwin, former state representative and former executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education; Zipporah Hightower, principal of the Mary McLeod Bethune School of Excellence; Juan Rangel, CEO of the United Neighborhood Organization; Annette Nance-Holt, co-founder of Purpose Over Pain, an organization that unites relatives of children killed by gun violence; Katherine Kennedy-Kartheiser, former elementary school principal; and Kohl.
State Sen. James Meeks
Andrew McKenna Jr., former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party and former Republican candidate for governor; and Frank Clark, chief executive of ComEd.
Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun
Billie Paige, principal at lobbying firm Shea, Paige and Rogal.
Melissa Harris can be reached at mmharris@tribune.com or 312-222-4582. Twitter@ChiConfidential.
