>>> THE STATE'S WEALTHIEST
RESIDENT KEN GRIFFIN HAS BET BIG
ON AURORA MAYOR RICHARD IRWIN.
IRVIN IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR
FOR A CHANCE TO TAKE ON DEMOCRAT
JB PRITZGER.
BUT IRVIN'S OWN TENURE IS
RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER
POLITICAL DENAYSES TO HIM
INFLUENCED THE AWARDING OF TENS
OF MILLIONS IN MUNICIPAL
CONTRACTS.
PARIS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING
THIS STORY WHICH YOU CAN READ ON
OUR WEBSITE AND PARIS JOINS US
NOW WITH MORE.
>>> KEN GRIFFIN HAS GONE ALL IN
ON THE TWO TERM MAYOR OF AURORA
IN HIS BID TO BECOME GOVERNOR OF
ILLINOIS.
HERE'S DEPOTTED 20 MILLION
DOLLARS INTO THE CAMPAIGN, AND
HE'S PLEDGED THAT IRVIN WILL
CLEAN UP WASTE AND CORRUPTION
THIS SPRING FIELD.
BUT AS YOU MENTIONED THE MAYORAL
FUND HAS RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM COMPANIES
THAT WOUND UP GETTING TEN OF
MILLIONS IN.
S IF THE CITY OF AURORA, ONE
COMPANY THAT STOOD OUT A FIRM
CALLED SCIENCE-TELL SOLUTIONS.
THAT INCLUDES $67,000 TO IRVIN'S
MAYORAL COMMITTEE, MANY OF OF
THOSE DONATIONS WERE ROUTED
THROUGH THE CEO, HIS SPOUSE AND
EMPLOYEES.
THE COMPANY ALSO GAVE $68,000 TO
A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CONNECTED TO IRVIN CALLED BUILD
OUR FUTURE.
THAT COMMITTEE IS RUN BY IRVIN'S
MAYORAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER, DENNIS
COOK.
>>> AND PARIS WHAT HAS THE
COMPANY RECEIVED IN IRVIN'S
TERM?
>> NAMELY 3.2 MILLION DOLLARS IN
CITY CONTRACTS DEALING WITH TECH
AND SECURITY CAMERAS AND ALSO
IRVIN WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN
PUSHING APPROVAL FOR THE COMPANY
TO BUILD 195-FOOT COMMUNICATIONS
TOWERREN ITS SITE.
THE AURORA CITY COUNCIL
INITIALLY VOTED IT DOWN, IT WAS
CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE THEY
FEARED IT WOULD INTERFERE WITH
ANOTHER BROADCAST THE TOWER
RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, THAT
ONE OWNED BY A COMPANY CALLED
CYRUS ONE.
THAT TOWER IS CONNECTED TO A
DATA THAT HOUSES THE ELECTRONIC
PLATFORM FOR THE CME GROUP, THE
MERCK, SO TRADING FIRMS WANT TO
HAVE AN TEN NASS CHLOE TO THERE
SO THEY CAN PULMOD PULL OFF HIGH
FREQUENCY TRADES AND THAT IS
WHERE A COMPUTER AL ALSO
ALGORITHM GETS HIGH FREQUENCY
TRADES AND THEY CAN BEAT FIBER
OPTICSn CABLE OR REGULAR INTERNT
IN NANO SECONDS.
SO FAST-FORWARD THREE MONTHS,
AFTER LOBBYING THE CITY COUNCIL
REVERSED THE INITIAL VOTE AND
VOTED TO APPROVE THE TOWER.
NOW, A 2019 BLOOMBERG ARTICLE
SAID THAT TOWER WOULD BE USED
FOR HIGH FREQUENCY TRADING AND
SPECULATED THAT THE FIRM USING
IT WOULD BE CITADEL SECURITIES,
AND THAT IS THE THE FIRM OWNED
BY KEN GRIFFIN.
SETTLE DELL DECLINED COMMENT
WHEN ASKED IF THIS WERE USING
THIS TOWER AND THE COMPANY SAID
IT WAS QUOTE NOT ACCURATE AND AS
FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO IRVIN,
THE COMPANY'S CEO WROTE US THAT
THERE ARE NO CONNECTIONS TEEN
BENEFITS AND CONTRIBUTIONS HE
SAID QUOTE, ALL OF THE CONTRACTS
WENT THROUGH A COMPETITIVE BID
PROCESS MANAGED BY A THIRD PARTY
IN WHICH THE THIRD PARTY MADE
REPRESENTATIONS TO CITY STAFF
AND THESE DECISIONS ARE
GENERALLY MEDAL ON THE BASIS OF
THE APPLICANT'S EXPERIENCE AND
PRICING.
AND IRVIN SAIDNEVER TALKED
CANADIANS ABOUT CAMPAIGN
DONATIONS BUT A FORMER AURORA
AILEDDER MAN WHO DID RUN FOR
MAYOR AGAINST IRVIN IN 2021 SAYS
HE BELIEVES THIS DOES NOT PASS
THE SMELL TEST.
>> THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR
AURORA.
IT'S JUST -- WHETHER IT'S LEGAL
OR NOT IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.
I THINK IT'S WRONG.
>> AND HE SAYS HE PROPOSED
CONTRIBUTION LIMITS IN AURORA
BUT THAT PROPOSAL GOT SHOT DOWN.
NOW, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
THAT SOME OF THESE DONATIONS
HAVE RECEIVED SCRUTINY.
IN 2018 THE AURORA BEA CON NEWS
DOCUMENT SEVERAL COMPANIES THAT
GAVE BIG AND ALSO WON SEVERAL
MILLION DOLLARS IN CITY BENEFITS