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Chico returned to practicing law with several high-powered firms; he was the chairman of Altheimer & Gray when the firm strangely and abruptly dissolved in 2003. In 2004, Chico ran a thoughtful campaign for U.S. Senate but was soundly defeated by Democratic machine support for Dan Hynes, oodles of cash at the disposal of multimillionaire Blair Hull, and the groundswell of passion for Barack Obama. Then he went back to lawyering and making money.
Few would have been surprised if Chico stayed out of politics and public policy after that. Over the last 18 years, a game plan has developed for former aides and allies of Mayor Daley. Top city policymakers are typically hardworking, loyal people whose ideas and long hours the mayor relies on to run the city, and whose names, reputations, and jobs he feels free to offer up as sacrifices when scandal strikes. Basically, commissioners and aides get zero credit when things are working right and take the blame when someone’s been naughty, even if they really weren’t responsible. They exist, in part, as mayoral insulation.
It was 27th Ward alderman Walter Burnett who brought up the most likely reason Chico’s been recruited again. “Gery knows how to get the money from Springfield and also from Washington, D.C.,” Burnett said. “And I think that’s very, very important for us.”
That’s why Chico’s here: he’ll try to get it done, and even if he doesn’t, he’ll never stop playing the good soldier.
