Posted inInvestigations

Firms Linked to 2 Men Convicted of Public Corruption Have Gotten Campaign Business from JB Pritzker and the CTU

The firms tied to former Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers and former Blagojevich administration official Bamani Obadele have gotten campaign business from Gov. JB Pritzker and in the hotly contested race for Chicago School Board president.

by Andrew Adams and Peter Nickeas August 10, 2026August 10, 2026

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Firms Linked to 2 Men Convicted of Public Corruption Have Gotten Campaign Business from JB Pritzker and the CTU

by Andrew Adams and Peter Nickeas, Illinois Answers Project
August 10, 2026

<h1>Firms Linked to 2 Men Convicted of Public Corruption Have Gotten Campaign Business from JB Pritzker and the CTU</h1>
<p class="byline">by Andrew Adams and Peter Nickeas, Illinois Answers Project <br />August 10, 2026</p>
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Tagged: CPS School Board Election, Chicago Teachers Union, Campaign finance, JB Pritzker

Andrew AdamsData and Interactives Journalist

aadams@bettergov.org

Andrew Adams joined the Illinois Answers team in 2025 as a data and interactives journalist. Andrew previously worked for Capitol News Illinois, covering the energy industry, economic incentive programs and legislative issues affecting Chicagoland. Previously, he built a data beat for a national magazine covering the tech industry, conducted academic research into gun violence in downstate Illinois, and worked on an award-winning series analyzing the effects of stimulus programs during the pandemic. He holds degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois Springfield.

More by Andrew Adams

Peter NickeasInvestigative Reporter

pnickeas@bettergov.org

Peter Nickeas joined Better Government Association as an investigative reporter in 2023. He previously covered policing for CNN and violence for the Chicago Tribune. He was a 2019 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and a 2018 Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

More by Peter Nickeas