74. Roger Ebert 76. Andrew McKenna Sr. 75 Ted Phillips Age: 55 Occupation: CEO, Chicago Bears Next Back Phillips is entrusted to run the beloved football franchise, but does he wield the power to bring the Bears back from epic collapse? His New Year’s Eve ditching of coach Lovie Smith for polar opposite Marc Trestman … Read more
91. Dan McCaffery 93. Jesse Ruiz 92 Richard Posner Age: 74 Occupation: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit Next Back Posner not only decides the most important issues of the day (he overturned Illinois’s ban on concealed weapons in December) but also influences intellectuals nationwide (in The New Republic, he skewered Justice Antonin Scalia’s … Read more
21. Jeff Smisek 23. Ken Griffin 22 Ed Burke Age: 69 Occupation: Alderman, 14th Ward Next Back Occasionally singed by scandal but never burned, this City Hall lifer has stayed relevant through 43 years and seven mayors. His influence runs wide and deep: ruling the City Council’s finance committee like a feudal lord, chairing the … Read more
1. Rahm Emanuel 3. J.B. Pritzker 2 Michael Madigan Age: 70 Occupation: Speaker, Illinois House of Representatives Next Back Want to pass a bill? Go see Madigan. Want to get elected? Better talk to Mike. Arguably as powerful as the mayor, Madigan redrew the legislative map and promptly added seven seats to his majority. He … Read more
48. Ann Lurie 50. Tracy Letts 49 Fred Eychaner Age: 68 Occupation: President and CEO, Newsweb Corp. Next Back He is the man behind the curtain, but this wizard has real power. Eychaner is a publicity-shy radio station owner who declines interviews and photographs but hosts the likes of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in … Read more
58. Frederick Waddell 60. Linda Johnson Rice 59 Michael Kasper Age: 48 Occupation: Lobbyist, Fletcher, O'Brien, Kasper & Nottage Next Back Dubbed "City Hall's new No. 1 lobbyist" by the Sun-Times, Kasper, who doubles as an election lawyer, has seen his clout multiply since a client became mayor (he argued Rahm's residency case). Not … Read more
82. Jorge Ramirez 84. Desirée Rogers 83 Anne Pramaggiore Age: 54 Occupation: CEO, ComEd Next Back One of the most plugged-in women in Chicago business, she made the public case last fall for Exelon’s biggest utility to raise rates to support a grid update (the jury is still out). She’s a presence, too, on many … Read more
53. John Daley 55. Patricia Hemingway Hall 54 Morton Schapiro Age: 59 Occupation: President, Northwestern University Next Back This economist used numbers to argue for demolishing Prentice Women’s Hospital, claiming a biomedical research facility would bring in $390 million a year in jobs, grants, and more. At presstime, Rahm was on his side, but the … Read more
41. Mellody Hobson 43. Martha Lavey 42 Patrick Ryan Age: 75 Occupation: CEO, Ryan Specialty Group Next Back This insurance titan, who built Aon into a global powerhouse and now runs his own specialty insurance firm, is a loyalist whose generosity continues to shape two sources of fierce civic pride: the Bears (he’s a 20 … Read more
