Read more about our list—how we define "power" and why we omitted Barack Obama—here. Some choices—and omissions—may be controversial. Good. Tell us who you think we snubbed, who we placed too high or too low, and who we ranked just right in the comments below. We want to know, really. Knowledge, after all, is you-know-what.

Rahm Emanuel
1. Rahm Emanuel
Mayor, City of Chicago

 

Patrick Fitzgerald
2. Patrick Fitzgerald
U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois

 

Jim Skinner
3. Jim Skinner
CEO, McDonald’s

 

Mike Madigan
4. Mike Madigan
Speaker, Illinois House

 

Rocky Wirtz
5. Rocky Wirtz
Chairman, Chicago Blackhawks

David Axelrod
6. David Axelrod
Chief strategist, Obama 2012

 

Derrick Rose
7. Derrick Rose
Point guard, Chicago Bulls

 

Penny Pritzker
8. Penny Pritzker
Founder and CEO, Pritzker Realty Group

 

Grant Achatz
9. Grant Achatz
Chef and restaurateur

 

Eric Lefkofsky
10. Eric Lefkofsky
Cofounder and chairman, Groupon

Andrew Mason
11. Andrew Mason
Cofounder and CEO, Groupon

 

Irene Rosenfeld
12. Irene Rosenfeld
Chairman and CEO, Kraft

 

Toni Preckwinkle
13. Toni Preckwinkle
President, Cook County Board of Commissioners

 

Jerry Reinsdorf
14. Jerry Reinsdorf
Chairman, Chicago Bulls and White Sox

 

Miles White
15. Miles White
Chairman and CEO, Abbott Laboratories

Garry McCarthy
16. Garry McCarthy
Superintendent, Chicago Police Department

 

Joe Mansueto
17. Joe Mansueto
Founder and CEO, Morningstar

 

Cardinal Francis George
18. Cardinal Francis George
Archbishop of Chicago

 

Ed Burke
19. Ed Burke
Alderman, 14th Ward

 

J.B. Pritzker
20. J.B. Pritzker
Cofounder and managing partner, The Pritzker Group

Bradley Keywell
21. Bradley Keywell
Investor and tech entrepreneur

 

Jeff Smisek
22. Jeff Smisek
CEO, United Continental Holdings

 

Roger Ebert
23. Roger Ebert
Film critic, Chicago Sun-Times

 

Robert Zimmer
24. Robert Zimmer
President, University of Chicago

 

Ann Lurie
25. Ann Lurie
Philanthropist

Sam Zell
26. Sam Zell
Chairman, Equity Group Investments

 

Jean-Claude Brizard
27. Jean-Claude Brizard
Superintendent, Chicago Public Schools

 

Lisa Madigan
28. Lisa Madigan
Attorney general, State of Illinois

 

Otis Moss III
29. Otis Moss III
Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ

 

Tom Ricketts
30. Tom Ricketts
Chairman, Chicago Cubs

Greg Wasson
31. Greg Wasson
President and CEO, Walgreen

 

Larry Goodman
32. Larry Goodman
CEO, Rush University Medical Center

 

Dick Durbin
33. Dick Durbin
United States senator

 

Rick Bayless
34. Rick Bayless
Chef and restaurateur

 

John Rogers
35. John Rogers
Founder, chairman, and CEO, Ariel Investments

Anita Alvarez
36. Anita Alvarez
State’s attorney, Cook County

 

Tom Pritzker
37. Tom Pritzker
Executive chairman, Hyatt

 

John Canning
38. John Canning
Chairman, Madison Dearborn Partners

 

Ted Phillips
39. Ted Phillips
President and CEO, Chicago Bears

 

Martha Lavey
40. Martha Lavey
Artistic director, Steppenwolf Theatre

Ken Griffin
41. Ken Griffin
Founder and CEO, Citadel

 

Paul Kahan
42. Paul Kahan
Chef and restaurateur

 

Jorge Ramirez
43. Jorge Ramirez
President, Chicago Federation of Labor

 

Matt Hynes
44. Matt Hynes
Director, Office of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, City of Chicago

 

John McDonough
45. John McDonough
President and CEO, Chicago Blackhawks

Sunil Kumar
46. Sunil Kumar
Dean, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago

 

Karen Lewis
47. Karen Lewis
President, Chicago Teachers Union

 

Theo Epstein
48. Theo Epstein
President of baseball operations, Chicago Cubs

 

Craig Donohue
49. Craig Donohue
CEO, CME Group

 

Patricia Hemingway Hall
50. Patricia Hemingway Hall
President and CEO, Health Care Service Corporation

Patrick Ryan
51. Patrick Ryan
CEO, Ryan Specialty Group

 

Michael Sacks
52. Michael Sacks
CEO, Grosvenor Capital Management

 

Jeanne Gang
53. Jeanne Gang
Founder and principal, Studio Gang Architects

 

Bill Hybels
54. Bill Hybels
Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

 

Mark Angelson
55. Mark Angelson
Deputy mayor, City of Chicago

Richard Melman
56. Richard Melman
Founder and chairman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

 

Neil Bluhm
57. Neil Bluhm
Managing principal, Walton Street Capital

 

Thomas Cole
58. Thomas Cole
Chair, executive committee, Sidley Austin

 

Richard M. Daley
59. Richard M. Daley
Former mayor, City of Chicago

 

Robert Falls
60. Robert Falls
Artistic director, Goodman Theatre

Mellody Hobson
61. Mellody Hobson
President, Ariel Investments

 

Francie Comer
62. Francie Comer
Philanthropist

 

James Crown
63. James Crown
President, Henry Crown and Company

 

Deborah DeHaas
64. Deborah DeHaas
Vice chairman, Deloitte

 

Dan Webb
65. Dan Webb
Chairman, Winston & Strawn

Joan Harris
66. Joan Harris
Philanthropist

 

Richard Posner
67. Richard Posner
Judge, United States Court of Appeals

 

Martin Cabrera Jr.
68. Martin
Cabrera Jr.

Founder and CEO, Cabrera Capital Markets

 

Richard Sandor
69. Richard Sandor
Founder and CEO, Environmental Financial Products

 

James Reynolds Jr.
70. James
Reynolds Jr.

Cofounder and CEO, Loop Capital

Eboo Patel
71. Eboo Patel
Founder, Interfaith Youth Core

 

Deborah Rutter
72. Deborah Rutter
President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

 

Desirée Rogers
73. Desirée Rogers
CEO, Johnson Publishing Company

 

Dick Duchossois
74. Dick Duchossois
Chairman, Duchossois Group

 

Brendan Sodikoff
75. Brendan Sodikoff
Chef and entrepreneur

Barbara Gaines
76. Barbara Gaines
Artistic director, Chicago Shakespeare Theater

 

Danny Sólis
77. Danny Sólis
Alderman, 25th Ward

 

Douglas Druick
78. Douglas Druick
President, Art Institute of Chicago

 

Linda Johnson Rice
79. Linda Johnson Rice
Chairman, Johnson Publishing Company

 

Dan McCaffery
80. Dan McCaffery
Chairman and CEO, McCaffery Interests

Patrick O’Connor
81. Patrick O’Connor
Alderman, 40th Ward

 

Julia Stasch
82. Julia Stasch
Vice president, U.S. Programs, MacArthur Foundation

 

Jim Thompson
83. Jim Thompson
Senior chairman, Winston & Strawn

 

John Bryan
84. John Bryan
Chairman, NATO/G8 host committee

 

Joanne C. Smith
85. Joanne C. Smith
President and CEO, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Andrew Alexander
86. Andrew Alexander
Co-owner and CEO, The Second City

 

Michelle Boone
87. Michelle Boone
Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, City of Chicago

 

Michael Pfleger
88. Michael Pfleger
Pastor, St. Sabina Catholic Church

 

Scott Harris
89. Scott Harris
Restaurateur

 

Bruce Rauner
90. Bruce Rauner
Chairman, GTCR Golden Rauner

Vince Vaughn
91. Vince Vaughn
Actor and producer

 

Devin Hester
92. Devin Hester
Wide receiver, Chicago Bears

 

Andrew J. McKenna
93. Andrew J. McKenna
Chairman, Schwarz Supply Source

 

Lou Raizin
94. Lou Raizin
President, Broadway in Chicago

 

R. Bruce Dold
95. R. Bruce Dold
Editorial page editor, Chicago Tribune

Tony Hu
96. Tony Hu
Restaurateur

 

Ikram Goldman
97. Ikram Goldman
Owner, Ikram

 

Melody Spann-Cooper
98. Melody Spann-Cooper
President, Midway Broadcasting Corporation

 

Bill Daley
99. Bill Daley
Cochair, Obama 2012

 

Marc Weissbluth
100. Marc Weissbluth
Founder, Sleep Medicine Center at Children’s Memorial Hospital

 

RELATED: Most Powerful Ex-Chicagoans | Power Couples | Power Siblings | Up-and-Comers | Poll: Which Powerful Chicagoan Would You Call Back First? | Quiz: Do You Know Chicago's Power Players?

Story by Jeff Bailey, David Bernstein, Cassie Walker Burke, Marcia Froelke Coburn, Claudine Isé, Geoffrey Johnson, Esther Kang, Ted McClelland, Kevin McKeough, Penny Pollack, Dennis Rodkin, Jeff Ruby, Chris Silva, Lena Singer, Bryan Smith, Jennifer Tanaka, Jennifer Wehunt