, have detailed that Jackson’s firm, The Intelligence Group, has one lobbying client, real estate company Onni Group.
In recent interviews with the Tribune, both Steele and Jackson said Jackson has not lobbied the assessor’s office and vowed he would not if Steele wins. “Quite frankly, in some cases, it’s offensive … the fact that she could not be able to make decisions as a woman without me being of some level of influence,” he said.But Reform for Illinois Executive Director Alisa Kaplan said the concern is valid, and Steele’s measures might be insufficient should Jackson continue lobbying for Onni Group and other developers. That’s because even the appearance of partiality could be problematic, Kaplan said.
Steele also said she would install a full-time ethics officer and recuse herself from decisions involving Jackson’s clients, though she was less specific on how other situations, such as assessments for property owners who work for Jackson’s clients, should be handled. “My client Onni is my only real estate client, and they don’t ask for grants or set-asides, or any specific legislative action,” Jackson said. “My relationship with Onni does not deal in the relationship of taxes. … Quite frankly, that is an area that I don’t really understand very much.”
Meaning who can do it better gets the job?