In his inauguration speech a year ago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel was unequivocal in declaring the start of a new era: “From now on, when it comes to change, Chicago will not take no for an answer.”
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Carrie Austin, thirty-fourth Ward alderman, chair of the City Council budget committee
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Based on the number of visits to his office, Austin is one of Emanuel’s favorite aldermen; she was listed on his calendar seven times for individual and group meetings as the mayor prepared for his first council budget vote. On the evening of November 16, a few hours after aldermen approved the budget 50 to 0, Emanuel set aside 15 minutes for a “quick stop by” at a dinner one of his deputies was having with Austin at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Austin says she’s grateful for the mayor’s attention. “I’m in awe of the experiences I’ve been privileged to have with him,” she says. “That’s my guy.”Seven meetings from September 8 to November 16, three hours total.
Griffin and his wife, Anne Dias-Griffin, each chipped in $100,000 to Emanuel’s mayoral bid. The Griffins also gave more than $1 million to Restore Our Future, a Romney-affiliated PAC, and $1.5 million to Americans for Prosperity, a nonprofit organization created by the billionaire Koch brothers that fights for government deregulation and union busting.September 19, 60 minutes.
Langdon Neal, chairman of the Chicago Board of Elections
Richard Price, chairman and CEO of Mesirow Financial, an investment and consulting firm
