Former Cook County commissioner would benefit from city’s electricity plan
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com June 20, 2012 5:56PM
Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
Updated: June 20, 2012 8:22PM
If shopping for electricity is put on the fast track in Chicago, as top city officials want, some people stand to make a lot of money — including former Cook County Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno. Moreno is the general counsel of Illinois Energy Aggregation LLC, a company whose top officials pitched the referendum idea to Moreno’s political ally, Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), who introduced it to the City Council. Moreno’s company also took the lead in testifying before the Burke-chaired City Council Finance Committee in May. Moreno acknowledges that the “aggregation” business would be lucrative if his company stands to get it but says: “There’s no guarantee we would be selected . . . There’s gonna be plenty of companies competing for this business.” Asked to describe his relationship with Burke, Moreno said, “He’s a friend.” But he said that had nothing to do with Burke proposing the referendum. Instead, Moreno said, “Burke liked the idea of helping people save money on electricity.”
