City council cracks down on lobbyists’ campaign donations to mayor after Johnson accepted donations

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday gave the Board of Ethics the power to fine or even suspend lobbyists who donate to a mayor’s campaign, closing a loophole in ethics rules exposed after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign improperly accepted lobbyist donations.

The penalties passed Wednesday are intended to close a loophole in the enforcement of a 13-year-old ethics rule enacted by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel that prohibits lobbyists from donating to a mayor’s political fund. Since taking office, Johnson’s campaign has accepted – and later repaid – at least $5,300 in lobbyist donations, violating Emanuel’s 2011 order banning such donations.

In order to create a level playing field, the new regulations sponsored by Ethics Committee Chairman Ald. Matt Martin, expands the original ban by extending restrictions to donations to the political committees of mayoral candidates, not just those of the incumbent mayor.

The regulation, which is supported by government regulators such as the Better Government Association, allows the Ethics Council to impose a fine of three times the amount of the unlawful donation if it is not refunded or returned within ten days of the violation being discovered.

Lobbyists must be registered to do their work, and anyone subsequently found violating ethics rules can face a 90-day suspension. The penalties apply to donations made personally by a lobbyist, as well as donations from companies in which they own 7.5% and for which they have lobbied in the past year.

“I’m glad we took a step today to ensure we don’t backtrack on our commitment to ethics and government oversight, particularly campaign finance reform,” Martin said. “Of course there’s still a lot of work to be done, but the people of Chicago need us to restore trust in government. I think this is an important step in the right direction.”

The loophole was recently discovered after Johnson’s political committee accepted several donations from lobbyists in violation of the ban. The Ethics Council decided that he was missing teeth to actually enforce the ethics rule after an external law firm investigated The enforcement power was not enshrined in law. In recent months, the Board of Directors five cases dismissed against lobbyists who had wrongfully donated to Johnson’s election campaign.

The City Council had already pushed the measure forward despite allegations that Johnson’s leadership team had lobbied City Council members. to defend oneself against itJohnson, meanwhile, said that more comprehensive ethics packages should be the priority instead. Johnson’s government claimed city councilors was against extending the ban to city councils and other elected officials,

“It has to be about how we reform our ethics to achieve what we ultimately want to achieve: real transformation,” Johnson said in July.

As he left the City Council chambers on Wednesday, Johnson shook Martin’s hand and congratulated him. Martin did not comment on whether he would seek an extension of the restrictions to city councilors. He said he was pleased the ordinance passed with Johnson’s support and said the mayor did not explain why he changed his stance.

The Better Government Association praised the passage of the regulation in a statement Wednesday, but lamented the “long and rocky road only to return to a status quo that has existed since the beginning of the Emanuel administration.”

“While these are welcome changes, neither ordinance is a blockbuster for powerful new oversight of city government. What is troubling to good government advocates is that even this small step forward came despite the objections of a mayoral administration that initially opposed some of the changes,” the statement said.

Martin postponed a July vote on the measure to continue discussions about whether to extend the measure to city councilors — not just the mayor. Councilors Nick Sposato and Chris Taliaferro used a procedural maneuver to delay a June vote on the ordinance, citing the need to study how and whether it should affect city councilors.

A more comprehensive package of ethics reforms To the displeasure of the Chairman of the Ethics Council, William Conlon, a vote has yet to be taken on this matter.

“We have presented a number of proposals to the City Council. They have either been referred to the Rules Committee, which some see as a death blow, or others have simply not been adopted,” Conlon said during the Ethics Committee meeting in July. “And that is extremely disappointing.”

The Better Government Association urged city councilors not to wait for the mayor’s green light.

“Council members can – and should – double down on their integrity in the public eye by passing the stalled ethics ordinances, with or without Mayor Johnson’s approval,” the statement said.

Tessa Weinberg covers Chicago government and politics for WBEZ.