Lobbyist with City Hall ties mulls 2027 mayoral bid

Title: Lobbyist with City Hall ties mulls 2027 mayoral bid

Lobbyist John Kelly has raised more than $450,000 for a likely 2027 mayoral campaign against Brandon Johnson, but his extensive client list could create conflicts of interest if he wins City Hall.

Kelly’s lobbying firm All-Circo, Inc. represents several major players with business before the city, including the White Sox, which wants taxpayer subsidies for a new stadium complex. He also lobbies for Bally’s Corp., which operates the temporary casino in River North and is building the permanent facility in River West.

“I would divest myself from my firm,” Kelly said. “We’re in conversations now to make sure we do this appropriately… we’d have zero conflict of interest.”

The veteran lobbyist created his campaign fund in late October but hasn’t formally announced his candidacy. He said he’s assembling “a team” for a likely run against Johnson.

Kelly’s business connections run deep. He partners with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf in a local security firm. That firm’s executives include James Smith, whose wife Margaret Houlihan Smith lobbies for United Airlines at O’Hare Airport.

Kelly also represents the United Center as a state lobbyist. The stadium, owned by partnerships involving the Bulls and Blackhawks, has sought city approvals for a massive Near West Side development including a music hall and retail space.

At City Hall, Kelly lobbies for Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, the law firm that appeared on the city’s approved “outside counsel” list in 2025 and has handled municipal bond work for years. Disclosure records show he lobbied the mayor’s office and aldermen for Bally’s throughout 2025.

Bally’s won Chicago’s first and only casino license under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The company recently opposed City Council efforts to legalize video gambling, an issue Johnson has avoided taking a strong stance on.

Kelly, a relative of former Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, said he wouldn’t favor former clients if elected mayor.

“You have to tell a lot of people ‘no’ as mayor. Whoever comes to me when I’m mayor, a former client or not, or any business interest, I have one guiding principle: is it good for the taxpayers of Chicago?”