23. Ken Griffin 25. Tom Pritzker 24 Karen Lewis Age: 59 Occupation: President, Chicago Teachers Union Next Back Last year, she proved wrong all those who had dismissed her as a neophyte with a big mouth. The seven-day teachers’ strike she pulled off in September secured her 29,000 devoted union members a contract that delivered … Read more
45. Tom Ricketts 47. Neil Bluhm 46 Dan Webb Age: 67 Occupation: Chairman, Winston & Strawn Next Back This lawyer’s work ethic and impressive record representing corporate giants (GE, Pfizer, Microsoft) had already earned him a sterling reputation before he waded into the politically charged investigation of Richard Vanecko, the nephew of former mayor Richard … Read more
7. Michael Sacks 9. Irene Rosenfeld 8 Toni Preckwinkle Age: 65 Occupation: President, Cook County Board of Commissioners Next Back This reformer has managed to keep her sterling reputation in a town full of tarnished politicos and get stuff done: slashing patronage, halving the county’s $487 million deficit after her first year, and trimming a … Read more
28. Robert Zimmer 30. Garry McCarthy 29 Steve Koch Age: 57 Occupation: Deputy mayor, City of Chicago Next Back This Wall Street whiz, who once oversaw blockbuster deals for Credit Suisse, was hired last August as Rahm’s top business adviser. Now his fingers are everywhere: from dealing with the pension crisis to negotiating with the … Read more
If you missed calls from these six powerful Chicagoans, whose number would you dial first?
43. Martha Lavey 45. Tom Ricketts 44 James Crown Age: 59 Occupation: President, Henry Crown and Co. Next Back The son of billionaire Lester Crown (No. 12) is a serious guy who knows how to handle serious money. He doesn’t just run his family’s private investment firm; he’s the lead director of defense industry behemoth … Read more
52. Richard M. Daley 54. Morton Schapiro 53 John Daley Age: 66 Occupation: Commissioner, Cook County Board Next Back If politics still happened in smoke-filled rooms, the other, other Daley would play lead cigar. He is the consummate backchannel guy, with 20 years on the board and dominance over county finances. Photograph: SCOTT STRAZZANTE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
96. John Rowe 98. Terry Duffy 97 Tony Hu Age: 45 Occupation: Restaurateur Next Back A native of Sichuan, Hu owns 11 restaurants here, with two more on the way. But it’s his involvement in community affairs (president of the Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago, director of the Illinois Restaurant Association) that lands him … Read more
9. Irene Rosenfeld 11. Rocky Wirtz 10 David Axelrod Age: 58 Occupation: Director, University of Chicago Institute of Politics Next Back Obama’s last campaign is over, but that hardly diminishes Axelrod’s influence. He aims to transform U. of C.—his new home base—into a nationally recognized political think tank ˆ la Harvard’s Kennedy School and inspire … Read more
71. Jim Franczek Jr. 73. Patrick O’Connor 72 Bill Daley Age: 64 Occupation: Potential gubernatorial candidate Next Back At presstime, he was “seriously considering” running for governor. Been there, heard that. Still, the former commerce secretary, Gore campaign manager, White House chief of staff, lawyer, and banker has connections in spades. Photograph: WILLIAM B. PLOWMAN/NBC … Read more
