A top ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson has been hitting up Chicago businesses to contribute to a dark money political organization that is hosting several events next week during the Democratic National Convention, including a luncheon and a showcase Soldier Field event.
Charles Smith, Johnson’s liaison to the business community, has been making the pitch for contributions to GoChiLife as a way to show support for the mayor, according to sources familiar with his efforts. Materials initially promoted Johnson as an attendee for one of the events.
At one point, the group asked for donations of up to $500,000 in exchange for 10 VIP tickets to each of its DNC week events, 20 regular event tickets, a logo on event and promotional materials and potential “additional benefits,” according to a presentation obtained by the Tribune. Other sponsorship tiers ranged from $5,000 to $100,000.
Smith wears multiple hats. Along with being Johnson’s point man with business leaders as vice chair of the city’s public-private economic development organization World Business Chicago, he is CEO of CS Insurance Strategies and chair of Business Leadership Council, an advocacy group designed to bolster Black business partnerships.
In February, Smith also became chair of the Illinois Democratic Party’s new fundraising initiative called InvestBlue to engage new donors and supporters of the state party’s work under Chair Lisa Hernandez, who took over following the departure of ex-Speaker Michael Madigan.
The coziness of all parties involved and the lack of transparency from the organization, which doesn’t have to publicly disclose its contributions, raises questions from reformers, but neither Smith nor GoChiLife responded directly to questions about potential conflicts.
In an emailed statement, Smith said he was “committed to strengthening every neighborhood in our city, including by supporting for GoChiLife’s mission to enhance Chicago’s vibrancy through arts, culture and entertainment.”
A spokesperson for Smith did not answer questions about who the organization had solicited donations from or who gave, whether any guardrails were in place to avoid conflict or confusion between Smith’s various roles, or why GoChiLife was established in the first place.
The power point presentation, which Smith said is outdated, showed GoChiLife had been soliciting donations to host five events during next week’s DNC, featuring special performances, “the best of Chicago’s arts and culture scene” and bringing together “key movers and shakers, convention attendees, elected leaders and Chicago residents.”
GoChiLife is less than a year old, according to state and federal records, and the convention events are not the first shindigs it has sponsored. After the organization was formed in late 2023, it played a role in throwing a New Year’s Eve celebration at a riverside restaurant where Johnson welcomed partygoers to ring in 2024, and a Grammys celebration where Johnson hobnobbed with artists.
“Does it raise eyebrows? Certainly,” said Alisa Kaplan, who heads Reform for Illinois, a nonprofit political watchdog. “It raises questions, but it doesn’t provide any answers.”
GoChiLife is listed in federal records as a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization, a group that is largely able to mask donors and contributions, as opposed to a political committee that is required to be much more transparent about the source and amounts of donations.
Technically considered “social welfare” organizations by the Internal Revenue Service, (c)(4) groups can advocate and lobby for causes. Such organizations wield increasing political influence, often earning the “dark money” moniker because they can accept unlimited donations and give to political campaigns without disclosing donors.
In response to questions about his solicitations, Smith said the convention events that he was trying to get businesses to help pay for are community-focused.
GoChiLife also initially pitched businesses on helping fund a welcome reception with Chicago business leaders at the Adler Planetarium on Monday with “a special performance to kick off DNC week in Chicago.”
But this week, World Business Chicago sent out its own invitation to a similar convention event it’s sponsoring at the Adler along with the mayor’s office and Johnson’s post-pandemic “Road to Recovery Plan.”
The Adler event for which GoChiLife raised money “is not moving forward,” World Business Chicago spokesman Andrew Hayes said. The WBC-sponsored event is “entirely separate and has no affiliation with” GoChiLife, and World Business Chicago is not co-sponsoring any other GoChiLife events, Hayes said.
GoChiLife-sponsored events that are proceeding during DNC week include a Tuesday luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel, a neighborhood block party on the South Side, and a viewing party at Soldier Field.
Justin Johnson, a GoChiLife board member, said in a statement the group will “create environments that enable Chicagoans to experience the historic moment — including a free viewing party so 4,000 residents can watch the convention from Soldier Field while also giving visitors a glimpse of what makes Chicago extraordinary.”
Luca Serra, a spokesman for ASM Global, which manages events at Soldier Field, confirmed it had contracted with GoChiLife for next week’s event. “We do not share sensitive information pertaining to contracts, however, I can confirm they are paying rental fees, service fees and for all food and beverage costs,” Serra said.
Though GoChiLife’s fundraising proposal initially touted the mayor’s appearance at the St. Regis event, Christian Perry, a spokesperson for Mayor Johnson’s political operation, would not confirm which of the GoChiLife sponsored events the mayor planned to attend. Johnson’s schedule is still being finalized, Perry said.
But Perry said Johnson would go to “numerous events over the course of the convention hosted by a variety of nonprofit, civic, and political organizations including Journey 4 Justice, One Fair Wage, the African American Mayors Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Rainbow PUSH, and more. The mayor looks forward to attending these events while continuing to oversee city business to ensure a successful, historic convention.”
Asked whether Johnson blessed the group’s founding, Perry said Johnson was “not involved in the creation of the group.”
GoChiLife’s other publicly promoted event was a black-tie New Year’s Eve party at River Roast, which Johnson attended along with other local officials, including Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Kari Steele, according to the organization’s social media posts. Keiana Barrett, a senior adviser to the DNC host committee, was also in photos from the event.
Johnson led the countdown to midnight, a post from GoChiLife’s Instagram account shows. GoChiLife also recently sponsored 4th Ward Ald. Lamont Robinson’s Peace-Palooza at Oakwood Beach, and Vegandale food, art and music fest, Smith said.
Public information about the organization is otherwise scarce. Its website does not disclose board members or leadership. The principal officer listed on its tax documents, Eugenia Brown, did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Despite forming in November 2023, publicly available tax documents show the group brought in more than $350,000 last year, all from “contributions and grants.” It ended the year with about $215,000 left over, after $67,500 was spent on “conferences, conventions and meetings” and $42,644 was spent on “advertising and promotion.”
Specific contributors and detailed spending were unavailable.
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rlong@chicagotribune.com
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