Yes, he’s a wealthy hedge fund boss, but Sacks’s greatest power lies in the public realm. When it comes to solving the pension crisis and other thorny financial issues, nobody has the mayor’s ear more. (Of course, he backed Emanuel’s reelection bid with gusto—and plenty of coin.) His involvement and influence show no signs of waning: As Rahm’s point man on World Business Chicago, the powerful quasi-private business council, Sacks helped the city win $320 million in federal and private funding last February to establish a digital manufacturing institute on Goose Island.