* Sun-Times…

The Illinois Tollway authority’s top two officials got their jobs from Gov. J.B. Pritzker after being “strongly endorsed” by a group that includes John Hooker, a former ComEd lobbyist who has become embroiled in a bribery scandal involving the utility and Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.

Will Evans, a former Peoples Gas executive, was named chairman of the tollway board in early 2019, soon after the Madigan-led General Assembly passed legislation restructuring the panel in the name of reform and allowing Pritzker to fill posts with new faces.

Around the same time, Pritzker tapped former Chicago Housing Authority official Jose Alvarez as the tollway’s $223,200-a-year executive director, running day-to-day operations of the government agency.

“In the case of both chairman Evans and executive director Alvarez, the Business Leadership Council, including John Hooker, strongly endorsed their work,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told the Chicago Sun-Times in November, referring to a group that advocates for African American businesses and executives. “As the governor looked to build the most diverse administration in state history, the administration took care to seek out recommendations from respected leaders in a variety of industries. Both appointees went through interviews, reference checks and background checks.” […]

Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner said: “The governor had no way of knowing about these allegations and urges anyone involved in the federal investigation to be forthcoming with authorities. He is satisfied with the work of the tollway leadership, including expanding opportunities for minority contractors and reducing motorist fines to create a more fair system.”

As the article notes, the Business Leadership Council is a veritable Who’s Who of Black Chicago business executives, including Avis Lavelle, Jim Reynolds, Charles Smith and Robert Blackwell Jr.

* Evans succeeded Desiree Rogers at Peoples Gas. His bio…

Will holds a Bachelor of science in electrical engineering and a Master of Management degrees from Northwestern University. He is a member of the Business Leadership Council, American Association of Blacks in Energy, the Human Relations Commission, Village of Skokie (Chair), the National Association of Corporate Directors, Northwestern Club of Chicago and the Kellogg Alumni Club of Chicago. Will also is the Chairman of Chicago Commons.

So the BLC endorsed one of its own. No surprise there.

* Alvarez’s bio…

Alvarez comes to the Tollway after having served in a multitude of public sector leadership roles, including chief of staff for the State Superintendent of Education for Washington D.C. Schools, deputy chief of staff for the CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and most recently, chief operating officer and chief of staff for the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA).

During his tenure at CHA, Alvarez presented balanced budgets for four consecutive years, secured over $1 billion in funding for mixed-income developments and developed a five-year capital plan for building and maintenance of facilities.

He also championed small and minority business participation in contracts through the Sec3 Job Order Contract Program aimed at driving small business participation and eliminated waivers for minority and women business enterprise contract requirements.