The cryptic Web site of the Freeman Institute, a little-known Chicago political consulting firm, promises to help would-be aldermen run grass-roots campaigns “designed specifically for the insurgent.”
The question is: Insurgents against whom?
In a city where the same man has been mayor for more than 21 years, often enjoying unanimous City Council votes in favor of his legislative proposals, fighting the status quo surely implies a challenge to Mayor Richard M. Daley and his allies on the Council.
The political winds seem to be blowing in the direction of rebellion as the February city election approaches, with the mayor’s poll numbers at an all-time low and the city’s budget deficit at a record high.
But state records show that the Freeman Institute has worked for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, which often serves as a quasi-official arm of the mayor’s economic-development efforts. And the husband-wife operatives behind the firm are recruiting aspiring aldermen with a pro-business bent.
Nicholas Delgado, the investment banker who runs the Freeman Institute with his wife, Haydee Caldero, noted that corporate Chicago had “tremendous access” to the mayor and state leaders.
“Some people have said to me, ‘Come on, Nick, you’re going to tell me some of the largest companies in the city are insurgents?’” Mr. Delgado said.
“I would make the case that the business community in Chicago finds itself in an insurgent position,” he said. “Labor really was the entity that had real force in the 2007 city election.”
Organized labor, led by the Service Employees International Union, poured millions of dollars into the last aldermanic election to help unseat several Daley allies who sided with the mayor in support of Wal-Mart, a nonunion retailer.
Despite increased debate on the Council and fewer 50-to-0 votes since that election, Mayor Daley has continued to count on support from most aldermen on virtually every issue. After a long fight, Wal-Mart recently won Council approval for two new stores.
Still, there is a sense that the balance of power in the Council could further shift in the next election. Three of the mayor’s allies have announced their retirement. Others fear an anti-incumbent movement due to the unpopular privatization of the city’s parking meters and the weak economy, which could force the city to cut services.
In the last aldermanic election, Mr. Daley provided little direct material support to his embattled allies on the Council, and his friends at the Chamber of Commerce delivered far less backing for incumbents than they had promised.
Mr. Delgado said that the real estate bust could also hamper re-election efforts. In the boom years, many members of the Council relied on campaign cash from developers seeking zoning changes, but there is little new construction now.
Just five aldermen, led by Edward Burke (14th Ward), have most of the campaign cash on hand in aldermanic accounts — almost $10 million. The other 45 aldermen together have about $2.5 million in their accounts, an average of $56,000 each.
Michael Mini, the chamber’s government relations director, said the group wanted to expand its efforts to help business-friendly candidates and was considering hiring the Freeman consultants to help. The chamber paid $18,000 to Mr. Delgado’s firm in the first six months of this year, according to state records.
The Freeman Institute is not the only budding effort to help pro-business candidates. State documents also reveal the recent formation of a new political fund called Welcome Wal-Mart. Philip Molfese, a Chicago campaign and public relations consultant who formed the group, said it had no ties to Wal-Mart. Mr. Molfese said he started the fund on his own because some aldermen told him they wanted to support the company but feared a union-financed push to unseat them in reprisal.
“It really is an independent thing,” Mr. Molfese said. “There needs to be a counterbalance.”
Gyata Kimmons, a City Hall lobbyist for Wal-Mart and a former Daley aide, said he had been unaware of Welcome Wal-Mart. “I’m appreciative,” he said of it.
Mr. Delgado said his firm also was open to working with “outright progressive” council challengers who may not be in lock-step with the business community’s agenda.
But, Jerry Morrison, executive director of the Service Employees International Union’s State Council, called both the Freeman Institute and Welcome Wal-Mart “corporate front groups” posing as grass-roots efforts.
Mr. Morrison said officials of the union had not determined how much they might spend in the 2011 election.
“We will have adequate resources to defend our friends and allies and be aggressive where there are opportunities to take additional seats,” he said. “I think there will be a lot of opportunities.”