Proposal Seeks To Ban Chicago Aldermen From Being Paid Lobbyists

CHICAGO — Chicago aldermen could soon be banned from being paid lobbyists if recent legislation introduced at the city's committee on ethics and government oversight is passed. 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea and 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith proposed the legislation, which comes as an addition to the city's lobbying law.

Aldermen Michele Smith (43rd) and Matt O’Shea (19th) have proposed additional changes to the City of Chicago’s lobbying laws to prohibit Aldermen from acting as paid lobbyists.

“While elected officials should always assert their positions on legislation and other matters, they should not be profiting from interests that could pose a conflict to their fiduciary duties as an elected official,” O’Shea said.

Five other city aldermen have signed on as co-sponsors of the ordinance, Crain's reports.

The proposed legislation is to amend Section 1, Chapter 2-156 of the city's municipal code.

The proposed language to be added to the law is here:

(c) No elected official or employee may lobby the State, the County, or any other local unit of government in the State, or derive any income or compensation from lobbying the State, the County, or any other local unit of government in the State, on behalf of any person; provided that nothing in this Section shall preclude (1) any employee from performing the duties of their employment, (2) any elected official from appearing before any unit of government on behalf of the City, the State, or the County without compensation or on behalf of their constituents in the course of their duties as an elected official, (3) any attorney who is an employee or elected official from representing another person seeking administrative or legislative action in connection with any zoning matter before the County or any other local unit of government in the State, whether or not such actions require such employee or elected official to register as a lobbyist under the applicable lobbyist registration ordinance of such unit of government, or (4) any elected official or employee from engaging in any political activity. For the purposes of this Section, “lobby” or “lobbying” means, as applicable, any action that would require the person to register as a lobbyist under the Illinois Lobbyist Registration Act, the Cook County Lobbyist Registration Ordinance, or any applicable lobbyist registration ordinance adopted by a unit of local government in the State.

The law would also ban lobbying by elected officials from outside Chicago in Chicago matters.

“Our elected officials should not be paid lobbyists to other governments, and other elected officials should not be paid to lobby the Chicago government,” O’Shea said.

From the proposed legislation:

No elected official of a unit of government in the State may lobby the city, the city council, or any city agency, department, board or commission; provided that nothing in this Section shall preclude any such elected official from (1) appearing in their official capacities before any city agency for the purpose of explaining the effect of any legislative or administrative matter pending before such body, (2) appearing without compensation or on behalf of their constituents in the course of their duties as an elected official, (3) seeking administrative or legislative action in connection with any zoning matter before the City on behalf of another person as an attorney, whether or not such actions require such elected official to register as a lobbyist under this Chapter, or (4) engaging in any political activity.