« 21. Bradley Keywell23. Roger Ebert » AGE: 57 OCCUPATION: CEO, United Continental Holdings Chicago’s place in the global economy relies on its role as a transportation hub—and thus on this Harvard grad, who stepped up from the better-managed Continental side of the 2010 merger. The next test of his power will be whether he … Read more
« 22. Jeff Smisek24. Robert Zimmer » AGE: 69 OCCUPATION: Film critic, Chicago Sun-Times The most recognizable movie critic in the world churns out reviews that can make or break films and dashes off daily tweets to his 580,000 followers. His list of admirers includes filmmakers and studio executives, who take his thoughts to heart. … Read more
« 20. J.B. Pritzker22. Jeff Smisek » AGE: 42 OCCUPATION: Investor and tech entrepreneur He’s quieter than venture capital partner Eric Lefkofsky (No. 10) and former boss Sam Zell (No. 26), but his accomplishments speak volumes. Keywell cofounded not only Groupon but also Lightbank (a business incubator that’s helping Chicago become a tech hub) and … Read more
« 1. Rahm Emanuel3. Jim Skinner » AGE: 51 OCCUPATION: U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois This son of a New York City doorman may seem an unlikely choice for No. 2. But when you can make the biggest names in state and local government quake, strike fear in the hearts of the Mob and … Read more
« 19. Ed Burke21. Bradley Keywell » AGE: 47 OCCUPATION: Cofounder and managing partner, The Pritzker Group; founder and investor, New World Ventures With a net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes, the affable Gold Coast Democrat is the richest of the Chicago Pritzkers and the one who stands out for creating valuable new … Read more
« 17. Joe Mansueto19. Ed Burke » AGE: 75 OCCUPATION: Archbishop of Chicago His December comments comparing the Pride Parade to a KKK march have made him the bane of the local gay community, and he has polarized Catholic liberals with his stance on abortion and same-sex civil unions. But the influential priest has the … Read more
« 18. Cardinal Francis George20. J.B. Pritzker » AGE: 68 OCCUPATION: Alderman, 14th Ward One of the last of the old-school Chicago Machine pols, this Hibernian grandee has bodyguards. Yes, he had a bad 2011 when his political son, Gery Chico, finished second to Emanuel. But he’s still finance committee chairman, still has $8 million … Read more
« 16. Garry McCarthy18. Cardinal Francis George » AGE: 55 OCCUPATION: Founder and CEO, Morningstar The first to bring rigorously independent analysis of performance and fees to the world of mutual funds, Mansueto demystified an industry and shifted power to ordinary investors. His resulting riches—his roughly 50 percent stake in Morningstar is worth about $1.5 … Read more
« 15. Miles White17. Joe Mansueto » AGE: 52 OCCUPATION: Superintendent, Chicago Police Department The city’s top cop sets the agenda for crime fighting—and he has not been shy about exercising his influence. Within months of ditching Newark last August, he made good on his promise of change, shifting 1,000 officers from desk jobs to … Read more
« 14. Jerry Reinsdorf16. Garry McCarthy » AGE: 56 OCCUPATION: Chairman and CEO, Abbott Laboratories Like Irene Rosenfeld (No. 12), White would have landed higher on our list had he not recently bowed to pressure from investors and announced he’ll snap his huge company in two. By the end of 2012, he’ll run Abbott’s $22 … Read more
