Ad Categories: City Life

4 Toni Preckwinkle Age: 66 Occupation: President, Cook County Board of Commissioners Like Teflon, Preckwinkle continues to be a steely force in local government. She’s up four spots on this list, despite a tax snafu in January that she deftly sidestepped. She spoke to Chicago on January 21. More than a few people have called for … Read more

42 Tracy Letts Age: 48 Occupation: Actor and playwright The longtime Steppenwolf ensemble member added another Tony to his shelf last year for his star turn in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? But outside of theatre circles, millions of TV viewers now recognize him from his bombastic role in Homeland. And while some critics panned … Read more

83 Thomas Cole Age: 65 Occupation: Partner, Sidley Austin The firm’s preeminent dealmaker, Cole specializes in corporate governance and large-scale mergers and acquisitions, typically valued in the billions—such as January’s Suntory Holdings and Beam merger, estimated at $16 billion. Photo: Courtesy Of Sidley Austin

91 Joe Berrios Age: 62 Occupation: Assessor, Cook County As assessor and the Cook County Democratic Party chairman, Berrios has plenty of power, but 2014 may be the year his clout runs out: His name surfaced in a bribery case last October, and a judge recently empowered Cook County’s inspector general to probe corruption in the … Read more

92 Otis Moss III Age: 42 Occupation: Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ This hip-hop pastor’s Washington Heights megachurch has more than 8,000 members, and his Twitter account shows equal reach: 8,250 followers, who heed his views on marriage equality, voter ID laws (“a postmodern poll tax”), and, most recently, the Trayvon Martin case. Photo: Chuck … Read more

93 Elaine Nekritz Age: 56 Occupation: State representative, 57th District The Northbrook rep is considered the closest thing to a reform-minded, independent voice in the Democratic House—even while being Madigan’s assistant majority leader. Nekritz was one of the first to call for a pension overhaul, and legislation finally passed in 2013. Now head of the House … Read more

94 Mike Reed Age: 39 Occupation: Founder and owner, Constellation Think of this musician-impresario as Chicago’s unofficial creative commissioner, thanks to his role in developing the Pitchfork music festival, his experimental jazz collective People, Places & Things, and the impressive programming at his year-old music club, Constellation, now a hub for the city’s avant-garde. Photo: Chris … Read more