Latest from GOTB
The newest posts from Michael on social media, in one place: Chicago infrastructure, procurement, plain-language explainers and the Infrastructure Guard sagas.
Fresh off the line: what Michael is posting on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, including each new saga episode. Tap a card to open the original post.
A wide, empty frame can set the rules of a whole world before anyone says a word. Finch Post-Review #01: The Last Orange Suit. An original homage and review: all characters and art are original, with no film footage or likeness.…
A wide, empty frame can set the rules of a whole world before anyone says a word. Finch Post-Review #01: The Last Orange Suit. An original homage and review: all characters and art are original, with no film footage or likeness.…
A wide, empty frame sets the rules of a world before anyone speaks. Finch Post-Review #01: The Last Orange Suit. Original homage, no film footage or likeness. More clips here + the full story:
A wide, empty frame can set the rules of a whole world before anyone says a word. Finch Post-Review #01: The Last Orange Suit. An original homage and review: all characters and art are original, no film footage or likeness. Watch…
The Infrastructure Guard: Ledgermain on how a city pays. Council fell one vote short of clipping the mayor's borrowing power, 33-17. Debt still needs 26 votes, not 30. That shapes every big bond. Pairs with today's post on City…
Deadly CTA attacks Sept. 7 and Oct. 8 (Sun-Times, CBS). Chicago approved a $260.8M police settlement Oct. 14 (Sun-Times). Prevention costs less than liability. Trained K-9 teams belong on trains. What standards?
In City contracting, a vendor with a personal tie to the decision-maker gets disclosed. Full stop. Campaign money should meet the same bar: who got paid, for what work, and what's the relationship. Sunlight isn't partisan.
CTA train safety in Chicago, in one board: deadly incidents on Sept. 7 and Oct. 8, and a $260.8M city police settlement approved Oct. 14. Prevention costs less than liability. Swipe the study guide. Sources: Chicago Sun-Times…
Oct. 15, 2026: Tesla showed a next-generation Roadster at SpaceX's Texas test site. It drove upside down on a ramp, flipped off the top and landed using compressed-air thrusters. Dezeen reported a claimed 0-60 mph time of 0.81…
Oct. 15: Tesla showed a next-gen Roadster. Company claims: 0-60 mph in 0.81 s (Dezeen), "under a second" (CNBC); production 2028, no price. The clip says "launch." Reporting says demonstration. Before buying demoed tech, ask…
Our new website is live at gotbconsulting.com, built by SafeHarbor (gotbconsulting.com/safeharbor). Which page would you open first?
Chicago's City Council approved a $260.8M police misconduct settlement on Oct. 14 (Chicago Sun-Times). Those are decades-old cases, not transit cases, but they show how large the bill gets when failures go unaddressed. On the…
O'Hare, 3 moves: 1) City Council passed the CLEAR lease for O'Hare and Midway on Oct. 14 2) Caisson permit out for Concourse E Phase 1 (14 gates, 2030) 3) Odor Mitigation Phase 2 bids open Oct. 28
What vetting really looks like
Questions worth answering. In procurement we verify every certification twice. Naturalization vetting should hold at least that bar, the same rules for everyone. It protects the honest applicant. Let the facts come out. Due…
I've spent years in City procurement, so I know what vetting looks like. Before a firm gets DBE or ACDBE certification at O'Hare, we check ownership, control and records, and we check them again. Paperwork that can't be verified…
Nestlé is doubling its investment in Mexico to $2 billion, adding $1 billion for 2028-2030 on top of the $1 billion it announced in 2025 (Manufacturing Dive, Oct. 15, 2026). I've spent my career on O'Hare, rail and water…
Oct. 15, 2026: a vehicle demo went viral. The clip says "launch." The reporting says demonstration. 0-60 mph in a claimed 0.81 s (Dezeen). "Under a second" per the company's timer (CNBC). Electrek lists under 1.6 / 0.9 / 0.59 s…
Undertow #1: the cover
Undertow #1 'Hidden Pipes', the cover. Where does your tap water really come from? Kid-friendly superhero comic.
Undertow #1 'Hidden Pipes', the cover. Where does your tap water really come from? Kid-friendly superhero comic.
~1,200 OpenAI test agents sent 70,000+ messages and ~700 joined an attack on Hugging Face (METR, Aug. 26). Netflix's Instadocs: AI Gone Wild retells it. Testing, oversight and incident reporting protect the public. What should…
New website is live! 🧡 GOTB Consulting's new site at gotbconsulting.com was produced and created by SafeHarbor, my Chicago outreach brand. I'm so proud of it. Go see it and tell me which page you'd visit first!
The new website is live! Go see it: gotbconsulting.com
The new GOTB Consulting website is live, and I couldn't be prouder. 🧡 It was produced and created by SafeHarbor, my outreach services brand here in Chicago. Every page carries the look and feel of the city I love: burnt orange…
I'm so proud of the new GOTB website, produced and created by SafeHarbor. Go see it at and tell me which page you'd click first.
NEW HERO REVEAL: The Infrastructure Guard: meet the team. Who builds the AI age, who pays, and who checks the work? Superhero comic character reveal.
Council fell one vote short
HITT Contracting grew from $8.7B to $13B in revenue in one year, and ENR now ranks it the No. 1 data center builder in the U.S. I've spent my career on the infrastructure that runs Chicago: O'Hare, rail, water. Here's what that…
Council fell one vote short of clipping the mayor's borrowing power. 33-17. Debt still needs 26 votes, not 30. That matters for every big infrastructure bond Chicago wants next. Questions on what this means for your city work?…
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About
Meet Michael E. Brown
President and Managing Partner, GOTB Consulting, LLC · Chicago
Michael E. Brown has 20+ years of governmental and municipal consulting and lobbying experience. He was lead contract negotiator on the $8.5B O’Hare 21 program and the $800M O’Hare rail extension, and lead lobbyist and contract negotiator on the $400M Chicago Department of Water Management lateral redevelopment. (Dollar figures are program sizes, not GOTB fees.)
He has worked with the Illinois legislature and public officials on public-private partnership (P3) policy, and has consulted to the Cook County Commission on reducing duplicative administrative offices. He is a frequent speaker at governmental and municipal functions, focuses on good government and healthier social and economic solutions for safe, successful neighborhoods, lives in Chicago, and serves on the Board of the March of Dimes.
- M.S., Psychology (1997), University of Iowa
- B.S., Psychology (1995), University of Iowa
About
Meet Richard Butler
Partner, GOTB Consulting, LLC · Chicago
Richard (Rich) Butler is a partner at GOTB Consulting and a 38-year veteran of Chicago city government. From August 2019 to February 2020 he served as First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), responsible for day-to-day administration and operations of O’Hare and Midway, including finance, contracts, operations, legal, human resources, workforce development, concessions, real estate and vehicle services. CDA manages the two airports with a federally funded budget of $8.5 billion. (Dollar figures are budget and program sizes, not GOTB fees.)
Before that, Rich was First Deputy Procurement Officer at the City’s Department of Procurement Services and Chief Administrative Officer of the Chicago Park District, where he oversaw procurement, audit, finance, warehousing and general administrative services on an estimated annual budget of $385 million and established district-wide policies and procedures. His City career began at the Department of Aviation as Director of Contracts Administration, and he also served as General Superintendent of the Department of Streets and Sanitation.
He completed the Chicago Accounting and Purchasing System Training Program and the City of Chicago Executive Management Program, was a key team member on the design and implementation plan for the City’s new eProcurement system, and is a member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing and the Purchasing Management Association of Chicago. He has served on the board of the Chicago Municipal Employees Credit Union and on the US Communities board, representing the City of Chicago, and traveled to South Korea to represent Chicago in the Kotra Alliance to bridge contracting opportunities. A native of Englewood, he attended De La Salle High School.
- B.S., Northern Illinois University