>> NEW REVELATIONS TONIGHT ABOUT
REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL
CANDIDATE RICHARD IRVIN.
MONDAY WTTW NEWS REPORTED ON A
COMPANY THAT DONATED BIG TO
CAMPAIGN FUNDS CONNECTED TO THE
AURORA MAYOR AND GOT CITY
CONTRACTS AND LEGISLATION.
IRVIN IS BACKED TO THE TUNE OF
$20 MILLION BY THE STATE'S
WEALTHIEST RESIDENT, KEN
GRIFFIN.
NOW A WTTW EXAMINATION OF
FURTHER CAMPAIGN FILINGS AND
CITY CONTRACTS SHOWS DEVELOPERS
THAT DONATED TENS OF THOUSANDS
TO CAMPAIGN FUNDS CONNECTED TO
IRVIN AND HIS FORMER LAW PARTNER
STAND TO RECEIVE TENS OF
MILLIONS FROM AURORA TAXPAYERS.
NICK BLUMBERG AND PARIS SCHUTZ
JOIN US FOR THE LATEST IN THIS
INVESTIGATION.
>> PARIS LET'S START WITH YOU?
>> GRIFFIN STATED HE BELIEVES
IRVIN IS THE CANDIDATE TO CLEAN
UP WASTE AND CORRUPTION IN
SPRINGFIELD.
BUT WTTW'S REVIEWED CAMPAIGN
FILINGS AND AURORA CITY RECORDS
AND FOUND TWO DEVELOPMENT
COMPANIES THAT DONATED $100,000
IN TWO FUNDS CONNECTED TO IRVIN
AND HIS FORMER PRIVATE PRACTICE
LAW FIRM PARTNER BRITTANY
PEDERSEN TOTAL SOLAR
ECLIPSALLING $30 MILLION IN THE
FORM OF INCENTIVES AND BENEFITS.
BRITTANY PEDERSEN IS RUNNING FOR
A DEMOCRAT FOR KANE COUNTY JUDGE
THIS FOLLOWS OUR REPORTING ON
MONDAY ABOUT A SCIENTEL
SOLUTIONS THAT THROUGH THE
COMPANY AND EMPLOYEES DONATED
$135 TO FUNDS CONNECTED TO IRVIN
AND PEDERSEN AND $1 MILLION
CONTRACTS FROM THE CITY AND
LEGISLATION BACKED BY IRVIN THAT
ALLOWED THEM TO BUILD A
LUCRATIVE COMMUNICATIONS TOWER.
>> AND YOU FOUND A FIRM THAT
DONATED HEAVILY AND RECEIVED
INCENTIVES FROM THE CITY?
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
REDEVELOPING AURORA'S DOWNTOWN
HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR CITY
LEADERS N2019 THE CITY COUNCIL
APPROVED A DEAL WITH JH REAL
ESTATE PARTNERS TO REDEVELOP THE
HOBBS VACANT LONG VA KANTD AND
IN DISREPAIR.
IT CALLED FOR A $13 MILLION
OVERHAUL OF THE HOBBS AND TWO
BUILDINGS NEXT DOOR THAT JH
OWNED TO CREATE APARTMENTS AND
COMMERCIAL SPACE.
JH GOT THE HOBBS BUILDING FOR
FREE, A $300,000 ASSESS MANY AND
GOT A 1.5 MILLION GRANT AND
BRIDGE LOAN FROM THE CITY.
AND THE CITY CREATED A TIF
DISTRICT THAT COVERS THE THREE
BUILDINGS AND JH ASSISTANTS
TO --
STANDS TO GET 80% OF THE TAX
REVENUE TO PAY FOR REDEVELOPMENT
COSTS.
SINCE 2019 THE YEAR THE DEAL WAS
APPROVED, JH AND OTHER COMPANIES
DONATED $10,000 TO IRVIN'S
MAYORAL CAMPAIGN FUND.
MORE THAN $16,000 TO BRITTANY
PEDERSEN'S JUDICIAL CAMPAIGN
FUND AND $48,000 TO THE BUILD
OUR FUTURE PAC CONTROLLED BY
IRVIN'S MAYORAL CAMPAIGN
MANAGER.
IN AN E-MAIL JH'S OWNERS TOLD US
THE DONATIONS WERE BECAUSE THEY
SUPPORTED IRVIN'S VISION FOR
AURORA.
IRVIN HAS BEEN SUPPORTIVE IN THE
DEVELOPMENT IN DOWNTOWN IN
AURORA AND THE CRIME RATE
DWINDLED.
>> AND PACIFICA SQUARE TELL US
ABOUT THAT ONE.
>> PACIFICA SQUARE IS A 360,000
SQUARE-FOOT ASH VAN THEMED MALL
AND SHOPPING CENTER DEVELOPED BY
WINDFALL PROPERTIES.
THE PROJECT STANDS TO RECEIVE
NORTH OF $17 MILLION IN TAX
INCENTIVES.
THIS DEVELOPER ALSO WON A
CONTRACT TO DEVELOP PRIME
RIVERFRONT PROPERTY NEAR
DOWNTOWN AURORA WITH A TOTAL OF
$9 MILLION IN PUBLIC INCENTIVES
THE CITY VOTED TO DONATE THE
LAND FOR FREE.
AND THEN ANOTHER 7 MILLION IN
FORGIVABLE LOANS AND CASH TO GET
THE PROJECT STARTED.
CAMPAIGN FILINGS SHOW THAT
PACIFICA, PACIFIC SQUARE WITH
THE SAME OWNERS AND TWO
PRINCIPLES DONATED $25,000 TO
IRVIN'S CAMPAIGN FUND.
NOW, WINDFALL OWNER EDDIE NI
SEEN IN A VIDEO SURPRISING IRVIN
WITH A BIRTHDAY CAKE ON HIS
BIRTHDAY IN 2018.
HE IS A FAMILIAR NAME.
HE IS THE DEVELOPER THAT IN
CONVERSATIONS RECORDED BY DANNY
SOLIS, AGREED TO HIRE MICHAEL
MADIGAN'S LAW FIRM TO BE ABLE TO
DEVELOP STATE-OWNED LAND IN
CHINATOWN.
NI WANTED TO BUILD ON STATE
OWNED LAND IN CHINATOWN.
PART OF MADIGAN'S SPRAWLING
FEDERAL CORRUPTION CASE.
NI TOLD US QUOTE IF YOU DON'T
HAVE THE RIGHT INCENTIVES NOBODY
WOULD DO BUSINESS HERE.
IRVIN AND PEDERSEN AND A
SPOKESPERSON DECLINED TO RETURN
OUR CALLS.
>> NICK, IS IT UNUSUAL FOR A
POLITICAL LEADER TO ACCEPT
CAMPAIGN MONEY FROM FOLKS THAT
GET THIS KIND OF BUSINESS WITH
THE CITY?
>> WELL, IN ILLINOIS, NO.
AND WE SHOULD POINT OUT THAT NO
ONE INVOLVED IN THE STORY HAS
BEEN ACCUSED OF WRONGDOING BUT
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM SAYS
ILLINOIS' LAWS ARE WEAK AND IT
LEADS TO CANDIDATES WHO ARE NOT
INDEPENDENTLY WEALTHY ACCEPTING
THE LARGE DONATIONS.
CAPLAN WHEN COMPANIES DOING
BUSINESS WITH THE MUNICIPALITY
DONATE BIG TO LOCAL POLITICIANS
THAT CAN ERODE CONSTITUENTS'
TRUST.
LIMITS ON HOW MUCH COMPANIES WHO
WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE
CITY CAN DONATE TO POLITICAL
CAMPAIGNS CAN HELP ADDRESS THE
ISSUE.
AND SHE POINTED OUT IN 22 STATES
AND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL
COMPANIES CANNOT GIVE DIRECTLY
TO CAMPAIGNS OR TO CANDIDATES.
BUT THAT IN ILLINOIS IT'S LEGAL.
IN A STATEMENT, THE IRVIN
CAMPAIGN SAYS UNDER MAYOR
IRVIN'S TENURE AURORA HAS SEEN
MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAN
AT ANY TIME IN THE CITY'S
HISTORY AND THE PROVEN TRACK
RECORD OF REVITALIZING AURORA IS
IN CONTRAST TO J.B. PRITZKER WHO
HAS GRIFFIN FAMILIES AND
BUSINESSES OUT OF ILLINOIS WITH
THE HIGH TAX, PRO CRIMINAL