Chicago ethics rules now cover City Council contractors and candidates' campaign ads

The City Council voted 50-0 on Sept. 23 to put Council contractors under the ethics code and add rules on candidates' paid ads and campaign use of City staff.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Oct 16, 2026

Ald. Matthew Martin (47th Ward), inset, reports the ethics ordinance to the City Council, Sept. 23, 2026City of Chicago video

Chicago's ethics code now reaches the consultants, lawyers and experts that alderpersons and City Council committees hire, and it puts new rules on anyone running for City office.

The City Council passed SO2024-0007359 on Sept. 23 by a vote of 50 to 0. Ald. Matthew Martin (47th Ward), who chairs the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, sponsored it. The ordinance amends Chapter 2-156 of the Municipal Code, the City's governmental ethics chapter, and takes effect 30 days after passage and publication.

Who is a City Council contractor?

The ordinance defines a City Council contractor as a person retained as an independent contractor by any alderman, Council committee or other service agency of the Council to provide services related to City governmental functions. People who do physical maintenance of City or aldermanic offices, such as custodial work, painting, landscaping or plumbing, are not included.

Those contractors are now subject to many of the same rules as City officials and employees. Our summary of the ordinance lists them: they must report corrupt or unlawful activity, avoid conflicts of interest, protect confidential information, follow the gift rules, and file statements of financial interests if their work is not solely clerical.

What changes for candidates?

Three things.

First, candidates and political fundraising committees may not use City property to influence an election. City property now includes a City official's or employee's time or efforts when they are doing their job or acting at a superior's direction, and any uniform, badge or other insignia that identifies someone as a City official or employee. A committee's use of City property counts as the candidate's.

Second, paid campaign communications authorized by a candidate must say who paid for them and carry a statement that the candidate approved them, the stand-by-your-ad rule Martin described in committee.

Third, if a political committee closes while owing an ethics fine, a related or successor committee has to pay it. That applies to fines imposed on or after Jan. 1, 2027.

What did the committee argue about?

The ordinance was introduced Jan. 24, 2024, substituted in committee in May 2024, and did not get a committee vote until Sept. 9, 2026. Martin told the committee that the Board of Ethics recommends changes at the start of each Council term and that the substitute included five of them. Board of Ethics staff said the amendments resolve ambiguities the Board had run into in enforcement and should be adopted before the next municipal election.

The debate was about lobbyists. Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) asked whether the ordinance would stop the Council from hiring a subject-matter expert or attorney who is a registered lobbyist on unrelated matters. His concern was redistricting: data experts who are also registered lobbyists could lose their lobbying careers by working on a map. Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th Ward) asked whether a lobbyist hired by a committee would have to stop lobbying or deregister during the contract. Board staff said the contractor provisions are not a blanket ban on lobbying, that conflicts would be assessed case by case, and that lobbyists can keep working as contractors, including on map work, unless they lobby directly against the City's interest on the same matter.

Public comment included support from good-government advocates, one of whom said they were disappointed a provision closing a campaign contribution loophole for the owners of City contractors had been removed.

How did the vote go?

On Sept. 23, Martin reported the ordinance to the full Council and asked for one more change.

"This item passed unanimously amongst all members present. Following the committee meeting, and based on discussions with Alderwoman Newton and Alderman Riley and the Board of Ethics, I circulated a proposed substitute clarifying that city council contractors will be subject to the limitations on representation of other persons that apply to appointed officials in keeping with the intent and discussion that occurred in the committee hearing."

Ald. Matthew J. Martin (47th Ward), City Council, Sept. 23, 2026

Ald. Matthew Martin reports the ethics ordinance and offers a floor substitute City Council, Sep 23, 2026 · 4:23:09–4:24:30

The Council accepted the floor substitute on a voice vote under Rule 33, then passed the ordinance by the same roll call it used for the first item of the Finance Committee report, which recorded all 50 alderpersons as yes, with an unsuccessful motion to reconsider by Ald. Gregory Mitchell (7th Ward).

How each ward voted

50 yea · Sep 23, 2026 · Passed

Yea Nay

SO2024-0007359: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

Later that meeting, Martin introduced another Chapter 2-156 amendment on candidate requirements and reporting; two committees were called, so it went to the Committee on Committees and Rules.

What it means on your block

If you work for an alderperson or a committee as a contractor, you are now under the ethics code: gift limits, confidentiality, conflict rules and, unless your work is purely clerical, an annual statement of financial interests.
If you are running for office in 2027, your paid ads need a paid-for line and a statement that you approved them, your committee cannot use City staff time or City insignia, and a fine owed by a dissolved committee follows you to the next one.