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Was Des Plaines lobbyist advocating for, and against, gambling expansion?

A lobbyist hired by the city of Des Plaines to advocate against gambling expansion may have been doing just the opposite on behalf of Rockford, according to one alderman.

Now that lobbyist is no longer working for Des Plaines.

Alderman Malcolm Chester, a lobbyist himself, said he believes McGuireWoods Consulting had a conflict of interest in representing both cities before Springfield legislators.

Rockford could be in line for a casino under various gambling expansion proposals that have been floated over the years. Des Plaines, which is home to Rivers Casino, has fought against expansion because it could stand to lose revenues it receives from the casino.

Last year, Des Plaines got $8.8 million from gambling taxes, and more than $1 million in property taxes, food and beverage taxes, licensing and compliance fees, and fines.

McGuireWoods, which had a contract with the city for lobbying services through July 31, isn't seeking a new agreement. Retained by the city since 2012, McGuireWoods was paid $25,200 in its most recent one-year deal.

City Manager Mike Bartholomew said McGuireWoods officials told him they wanted to withdraw their representation of Des Plaines because of a heavy workload in representing a number of other towns.

Chester said he believes the firm withdrew because he wrote a memo raising "a big stink" about the firm representing both towns.

Michael Cassidy, the firm's senior vice president for state government relations, didn't respond to requests for comment.

At Monday's city council meeting, aldermen voted 5-3 to approve a final $2,100 bill for McGuireWoods' July lobbying services.

"I realized we owed them money, but I wanted to make a public statement that we should never have been paying them money in the first place," said Chester, who voted with Dick Sayad and Jack Robinson against the payment.

Alderman Don Smith said he didn't have a problem paying the bill for work already completed.

"It might have been a potential conflict. It may be one of those gray area things where they thought it best to withdraw," Smith said. "I didn't have reason to believe they did anything wrong by us."

Patrick Hayes, Rockford's legal director, confirmed Thursday that McGuireWoods lobbies on Rockford's behalf for gambling expansion and other issues. The firm is paid $10,000 a month.

Chester, who was elected 6th Ward alderman in April, is employed as a lobbyist himself for the Forest County Potawatomi Community, which owns the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Chester said there's no conflict of interest by serving on the city council, since the Potawatomi hold the same position as Des Plaines: no gambling expansion.

Meanwhile, Des Plaines officials are evaluating whether to retain two other lobbying firms who have fought against gambling expansion in Springfield.

Aldermen met behind closed doors Monday night with both, Alfred G. Ronan and Government Consulting Services of Illinois. They also discussed what the city's lobbying strategy should be moving forward as new proposals are introduced in Springfield, Bartholomew said.

It's possible the council may retain both firms, neither, or bring new lobbyists to the mix, he said.

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