CITY CLUBBED
Gov orders state officials to avoid Chicago civic group that drew scrutiny from feds as part of a sweeping government corruption probe
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered state officials to steer clear of speaking engagements at the City Club of Chicago amid revelations that federal agents searched the civic group’s Wrigley Building office earlier this year, reportedly in connection with a broadening corruption probe that has ensnared ComEd lobbyist and club president Jay Doherty.
“While questions remain about the City Club’s involvement in the ongoing federal investigation, the administration is recommending state agencies pursue alternative forums to communicate with the public,” Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner said Friday.
In addition to leading the 116-year-old public affairs group that has hosted hundreds of politicians and executives from the top ranks of Illinois power circles — including Pritzker — Doherty has lobbied for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago and Springfield for about a decade.
The power utility’s parent corporation Exelon previously acknowledged receiving two grand jury subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding its lobbying activities in Illinois, where state regulations give ComEd a legal monopoly on power delivery in northern Illinois.
Federal agents interviewed some City Club staffers and took computers and files when they showed up at their Mag Mile headquarters in May. They returned the items in mid-July, according to City Club board chairman Ed Mazur.
Mazur said agents didn’t indicate what they were looking for, but he said the City Club is not under investigation.
A source told WBEZ last week that investigators are probing Doherty’s role in clout hiring at ComEd, including some hires with ties to powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Doherty, who did not respond to requests for comment Friday, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
But the feds’ trail was enough to prompt Pritzker to tell his officials to turn down any invitations to participate on City Club panels.
Mazur said he was disappointed in the freshman Democrat’s decision. Pritzker-appointed Illinois Tollway chief Jose Alvarez canceled his City Club appearance scheduled for earlier this week, and state officials were on the calendar for at least three more club events through November.
The governor’s edict doesn’t apply to independently elected officials. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul spoke at the club on Monday, and a spokesperson for state Treasurer Michael Frerichs said the two-term Democrat still plans to make his scheduled appearance Nov. 14.
“The City Club hasn’t been charged with anything,” Mazur said. “We’ve tried to be as cooperative as possible, and we think the governor’s office is missing out on some great opportunities for their cabinet members to talk about their policies and where this is going. We’re hoping they reconsider.
“My feeling is the feds are looking at a number of agencies and people, and we’re one among many,” he said. “In light of the [media] stories that have appeared, we’re like a minnow, and they’re looking for a whale.”
It’s not clear what that whale might be, though details have slowly emerged in recent months about the broadening corruption probe that has included raids of several southwest suburban village halls and the Springfield office of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, who chairs the state’s powerful Transportation Committee.
Last week, Exelon Utilities CEO Anne Pramaggiore abruptly retired as questions swirled around lobbyists for ComEd, which Pramaggiore previously ran.
One grand jury subpoena for the utility asked for information about lobbying activities and the other, which the company said it received Oct. 4, was for records of communications with Sandoval and other individuals and entities Exelon did not disclose.
Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, lists herself online as a senior account manager in government affairs at ComEd.
It’s not clear if the City Club search or the Sandoval probe fit into other ongoing matters, such as those that led earlier this year to charges against Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) and state Sen. Thomas Cullerton, as well as raids on the offices of Ald. Carrie Austin (34th).