2015

The Power 100

Our fourth annual list of the Chicagoans who have the most clout—and why

Rahm’s No. 1 on Chicago’s power list? Again? Yep—but for the first time, that top spot was by no means a gimme. (Read on to find out why the mayor almost lost his perch and what he must do to keep it.) Plenty of events shook up the rest of this list, from triumphant (Bruce Rauner’s winning gubernatorial bid; writer Gillian Flynn’s blockbuster) to tragic (Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis’s brain tumor; quarterback Jay Cutler’s collapse). Pat Quinn, Cardinal George, and Greg Wasson make way for the likes of Steve Easterbrook, Kurt Summers Jr., and Paul McGee. Don’t know those last three? You will soon.