Evanston should ban elected officials from lobbying
For the last 20 years, I’ve paid close attention to the Evanston City Council, but I had no idea the extensive nature of Alderperson and Springfield lobbyist Tom Suffredin’s conflicts of interests until reading recent media reports.
I’ve filed an ethics complaint against Suffredin, which highlighted several occasions where he failed to disclose multiple conflicts of interest related to a campaign contribution and his Springfield lobbying work, while also serving on the Council.
Suffredin accepted a $250 campaign contribution from Michael Houlihan. On March 28, 2022, Suffredin voted to approve a lobbying contract with Drexwood Partners LLC, which is owned by Houlihan. He didn’t disclose it or recuse himself from voting on it.
In 2018 and 2019, Suffredin was a lobbyist for Novomatic Americas Sales, which is a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest gaming conglomerates. On October 29, 2018, Suffredin advocated Evanston reverse its ban on video gaming, which could have benefitted Novomatic. He didn’t disclose this relationship.
From 2017-2019, Suffredin was a lobbyist for Elgin. At a March 28, 2022 City Council meeting, Suffredin said Evanston’s lobbyist would “be interested in things that would affect the city of Evanston specifically, largely as it pertains to the funding and grants.” Since his paid lobbying work was to get state funding that could have gone to Evanston, he should’ve disclosed this conflict of interest.
You can be an elected official or a lobbyist, but you shouldn’t be both. Engaging in pay-to-play politics and lobbying against Evanston is wrong and should be properly investigated. We deserve a conflict-free City Council that is open, transparent and honest. I want to send a clear message that the interests of Evanston should always come first, which isn’t much to ask. Chicago has banned elected officials from lobbying. Evanston should too.
Adam Finlayson
Evanston
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