Client Hub
Your pit stop for plain-language information on the public topics we follow in Chicago: transit procurement, airports, water, gaming and City Council. Everything on this page is public and linked to its sources.
Welcome in. Pick a topic tile to follow public news and records. If Michael has given you a login, the client portal is further down.
Pick a topic
Health & human servicesWhere health dollars live
Who controls health money at the City, County and State, how each buys, and what is open now.
Read the explainer →
Permits & signsSigns on buildings and roads
How Chicago outdoor signs get permitted: wall, projecting and freestanding signs, DOB and Zoning steps, fixing permits, compliance.
Read the explainer →
Energy & underground workUnderground energy in IL and WI
Who buys tunneling and pipeline work from utilities, MWRD and the City, how to register, and what is open now.
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AirportsO’Hare & Midway concessions
Who gets to sell the coffee? How airport concession opportunities work.
Read the explainer →AirportsAirport steel and metals bidding
How a steel or architectural metals shop bids as a sub-tier on The New Concourse E at O’Hare.
Read the explainer →AirportsHVAC and building controls bidding
How an HVAC controls firm or building automation supplier bids as a sub-tier on The New Concourse E at O’Hare.
Read the explainer →AirportsAirport security systems bidding
How security integrators and subs get into the O’Hare and Midway command-and-control support work: scope, who buys, MBE/WBE and compliance.
Read the explainer →AirportsO’Hare 21
How Chicago is rebuilding the middle of O’Hare.
Read the explainer →
WaterWater mains & lead service lines
The underground rebuild and the lead service line program, in plain language.
Read the explainer →GamingVideo gaming in Chicago
A neutral tracker of public Council and state action on video gaming terminals.
Open the tracker →City CouncilCity Council live feed & debriefs
Meeting debriefs, committee news, and links to the official live record.
Open Council updates →Power & dataPower, data centers & who gets served first
A saga episode on new power, data centers and the town down the road, with sources.
Watch the episode →LearnInfrastructure Guard Comics
Explainers in comic form, including how water gets to your tap.
Open the comics →How the hub works
Start with the public trackers
Each topic page summarizes public reporting and records, with a link to every source.
Check the dates
Every tracker shows when it was last checked, and separates what is posted from what is only forecast.
Need more?
Your private materials are shared through the client portal or directly by Michael.
Client portal
Private materials stay private. If you have a password from Michael, enter the portal. If not, send a note and we will sort it out.
Go to the Client Portal →Questions? mbrown@gotbconsulting.com · 312.342.6629
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
Fictional characters from GOTB’s original stories. Real-world facts always link to public sources.