Mayor presses utility, aide’s wife is lobbyist
Lightfoot sees no issues with ComEd, security chief’s ties
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling for answers from ComEd over the federal investigation into its lobbying activities at the same time the wife of the mayor’s security chief is working as a lobbyist for the utility.
Margaret Houlihan Smith in October added ComEd to her lobbying clients, and listed dozens of city departments she might lobby on the utility’s behalf, including the mayor’s office, according to city records.
The arrangement has raised questions about the kind of information Houlihan Smith might be privy to and the kind of access she could promise. But the mayor’s office said it saw no issues with her security chief, James Smith, being married to a lobbyist for ComEd.
Houlihan Smith is a professional and is entitled to make a living, mayoral spokeswoman Lauren Huffman said in a statement.
“Beyond that, Jim Smith’s sole responsibility in the administration is to oversee the security detail protecting the mayor and her family. He does not have any role in policy or business decisions,” Huffman said. “As noted at the start of the administration, Ms. Houlihan Smith is an experienced professional and understands there must be a clear separation between her professional work and Jim Smith’s role in the Mayor’s Office.”
Houlihan Smith could not be reached for comment on her work for ComEd — specifically what type of lobbying she might do on the utility’s behalf. She was hired by ComEd in October as a contract lobbyist for matters both in Chicago and at the state level, according to Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for the utility.
Houlihan Smith is one of several former staffers for House Speaker Michael Madigan who have gotten work from ComEd. The Tribune was the first to report that federal authorities have asked questions about Madigan and his political operation as part of an ongoing investigation.
The Tribune also has reported that federal authorities had recorded the calls of former ComEd lobbyist Mike McClain, a longtime close Madigan confidant.
The federal investigation into the utility’s lobbying activities has been roiling Springfield for much of this year. The Tribune has reported federal authorities are looking at payments made through ComEd’s network of consultants to people who seemed to have done little work. The payments were aimed at currying favor with certain lawmakers while circumventing lobbying disclosure rules, a source told the Tribune.
During a radio interview last week, the mayor said she needs an explanation from ComEd officials about the growing lobbying scandal in Springfield before considering renewing the utility’s franchise agreement with Chicago in 2020.
“I think there’s a lot of questions that ComEd is going to have to answer before we’re going to get comfortable renewing our franchise,” Lightfoot said in the interview with WLSAM 890 reporter Bill Cameron. “We’re in the early stages of those discussions, but the more that gets dribbled out through media accounts, my concern is rising.”
In addition to ComEd, Houlihan Smith represents United Airlines, electronic cigarette giant Juul, slot machine and electronic gambling conglomerate Accel Entertainment and AT&T Illinois at City Hall, according to city lobbying records.
James Smith was a former U.S. marshal and a managing partner at Silver Star Protection Group when Lightfoot announced after her election that he would coordinate her security. The move was a departure from the long tradition of the Chicago Police Department handling that duty.
Shortly after Lightfoot took office in May, Houlihan Smith declined to comment on the steps she and her husband planned to take to keep his security work for the mayor and her lobbying at City Hall separate.
Smith is often seen around City Council chambers, both when he’s accompanying the mayor as part of her security detail and during council committee meetings when Lightfoot isn’t on hand.
The couple also is sometimes seen together with politicians at City Hall. Earlier this fall, Houlihan Smith was seen introducing her husband to Northwest Side Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, in the hallway outside chambers. Gardiner said he vaguely remembered the introduction, but didn’t think there was anything unusual about it.