City of Aurora Deploys Lobbyist on Behalf of Rezko Family’s Luxury Development Following Campaign Donations to Mayor Richard Irvin
This latest scenario is a clear example of pay-to-play linked to the controversial Rezko family and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, further highlighting a troubling pattern of favoritism and corruption.
The family of the disgraced Blagojevich fundraiser and infamous Chicago slumlord, Tony Rezko—convicted in 2008 on 16 counts of fraud, bribery, and money laundering—is currently undertaking a multi-million dollar luxury apartment development along the riverfront in Downtown Aurora.
The project, known as the Residences at Eastbank, is being developed by DAC Developments, owned by Danny Rezko, Tony Rezko's son. The company also employs five other Rezko family members in high-level roles, including Tony’s two other children. Although not disclosed on the company’s website or ownership documents, Chicago Crain’s Business has verified that Tony Rezko himself is also actively involved in the firm’s operations.
Uncover Aurora previously published a story in March 2023 that included coverage of the pattern of pay to play between the Rezko family and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin surrounding this riverfront development.
Two sides of the Fox River, Two concerning developers
In our first video of this series, we looked at the Pacifica Square development on Rte 59, and detailed in depth the pay-to-play happening with the Madigan connected developer on the project, Eddie Ni. I showed how every time Mr. Ni had a request passing through the city council, the Mayor would receive a donation from Mr. Ni, The Windfall Group develo…
One month after that story was published, the Rezko family, through their company’s staff and project partners, donated another $5,500 to Mayor Irvin’s campaign account, according to campaign disclosure reports.
New documents obtained through FOIA requests shine a light on the response taken by top city officials just after these donations and continue to raise red flags about corruption within the Irvin administration.
Development Dilemmas, A Project Facing Uncertainty
After receiving final approval for the project in November 2021 from Aurora’s city council, the company encountered multiple setbacks in getting the project off the ground. These included delays due to environmental concerns, such as the presence of heavy metals like lead and mercury, difficulties in securing investor funding for the project, and increased construction costs driven by inflation and the required environmental remediation on site.
As these challenges came into focus, the company realized they would need more assistance from the City of Aurora to get the project off the ground. In response, they donated $5,500 to Mayor Irvin’s campaign fund.
Less than a week after these donations, city staff received their first request from the company, asking for the city's intervention with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The Illinois EPA was requiring additional data collection and modeling to ensure the heavy metals at the site would not pose a risk to drinking water or contaminate the nearby Fox River.
In response, city officials began working to craft a ‘Groundwater Use Restriction Ordinance’ with hopes that this would appease the EPA and gain their approval for the project. Once the ordinance was approved by the city council in May, the Irvin administration then deployed their state lobbyist to try and expedite the Illinois EPA’s review of DAC’s construction permit.
In addition to this intervention, documents reveal that the city actively sought an investor for the DAC team's project. City officials participated in meetings with DAC and their eventual financier, Geneva Capital, in late 2023 to facilitate the approval of construction loans. Even further, the Irvin administration returned to the city council in late 2024 to request an extra $5.75 million in taxpayer funding for the developer. This amendment effectively doubled the taxpayers' burden for the development, increasing the total from $6.8 million to $12.6 million.
The request for additional funding was approved in an 11-2 vote. First Ward Alderman Daniel Barreiro and Alderman-at-Large John Laesch, who is also a 2025 mayoral candidate, opposed the measure.
Second Ward Alderman and 2025 mayoral candidate Ted Mesiacos abstained from voting, presumably due to conflicts of interest.
After three years of delays, the DAC team officially broke ground in October 2024, one month after council approved the subsidy increase.
Following The Paper Trail
This latest scenario further highlights the pay-to-play tactics linked to the controversial Rezko family and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. From the project's initial proposal to its groundbreaking ceremony, whenever the Rezko family needed assistance from city staff to advance their profitable venture, they strategically donated to Mayor Irvin. In total, Mayor Irvin has received $20,000 in donations related to this development, underscoring a troubling pattern of favoritism and corruption within city hall.
Despite mounting evidence of pay-to-play practices in Aurora, highlighted by articles from Uncover Aurora, WTTW Chicago, and posts from community members across social media, Mayor Irvin steadfastly denies any allegations of corruption or favoritism towards campaign donors. Instead, Irvin maintains that those who contribute to his campaign do so because they support the direction in which the city is headed and wish for him to continue as mayor.
Receipts & Related Stories:Receipts for April donations connection to DAC developers
Receipts for state lobbyist request:
Receipts for city’s support with investor for DAC project:
Related Stories:
Mayor Irvin’s Campaign Donations Linked to Another City Contract | Uncover Aurora
Two Sides of the River, Two Concerning Developers | Uncover Aurora
A Deep Dive Into Mayor Irvin’s Q1 2023 Campaign Donations | Uncover Aurora
Ken Griffin’s Trading Firm Tied to Company Aided by Richard Irvin | WTTW