Former Lawmaker Chris Nybo Now A Lobbyist

HINSDALE, IL — Former state Sen. Chris Nybo, who lost his bid for re-election last year, is not staying away from state government. The Elmhurst Republican is now a state lobbyist with a number of clients, including Hinsdale

On Tuesday, the Hinsdale Village Board unanimously voted to keep Nybo as its lobbyist for another six months beyond his current contract, which expires Dec. 31. His rate will drop to $5,000 a month, from $6,000 now, the village said.

Nybo, who served four years in the Senate, lost narrowly to Suzy Glowiak, D-Western Springs, in the 2018 election. Months later, he became a lobbyist, which is not unusual for a former state legislator.

According to the conservative Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois is one of only 11 states that do not have "revolving door" laws barring legislators from lobbying after they leave office. Most states have one- or two-year cooling-off periods after lawmakers' departures.

In Texas, the state Senate earlier this year passed a bill banning cities and counties from hiring lobbyists, but the House rejected the Republican-backed measure. The ban's supporters argued that taxpayer money should not be spent to advocate for measures such as tax increases that work against taxpayers' interests.

The village entered its original agreement with Nybo on May 21, 2019, tasking him with, among other things, fighting legislation that would have jeopardized the sales tax money the village gets from businesses at the Hinsdale Oasis, according to a memo by Village Manager Kathleen Gargano. The bill in question has yet to advance and is not expected to do so in next year's legislative session, which starts in January, the memo said.

This coming year, the village has identified other legislative interests with which Nybo can help. That includes the village's push for local control of issues related to 5G towers. Many local residents believe telecommunications companies are planning to place the small towers all over town, which residents say could be bad for their health and the village's aesthetics.

The village also said it wants Nybo to help it with unused state grant money given to Hinsdale for the Oak Street bridge projects as well as other pending grant requests as part of the state capital projects bill passed earlier this year.

Even though the village said it entered into an agreement with Nybo on May 21, the secretary of state's lobbyist database indicates Nybo filed information on March 28 listing Hinsdale as a client.

Contacted by Patch, Nybo released a statement, "No one can dispute that our firm helped Hinsdale achieve significant policy successes this year, including blocking legislation that would have cost them millions of dollars in lost sales taxes and securing commitments of state financial support for infrastructure improvements such as the new parking deck. Our goal is to achieve similar successes for as long as we’re able to work with them.”

He referred further questions to his client. Village officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Nybo, whose 24th District included Hinsdale, served in the Senate for four years. He was previously a member of the state House for two years.