Good afternoon, Chicago.
The former general counsel for Commonwealth Edison testified today that he had “reservations” about selecting Juan Ochoa for the utility’s board after a background check turned up some significant political baggage.
But Ochoa had something far more important in his back pocket: the recommendation of House Speaker Michael Madigan.
In one of the central allegations in Madigan’s corruption case, Tom O’Neill, ComEd’s former chief lawyer, testified that the then-powerful speaker wanted Ochoa, the former chief of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, placed in a rare vacant seat on the company’s board in late 2017. He said CEO Anne Pramaggiore was behind the move because Ochoa’s resume came from Madigan.
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An uncertain future for Chicago’s Latino students: What’s been their experience amid CPS turmoil?
Immigrant and advocacy groups are concerned about further inequity for Latino communities. Read more here.
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