Chicago mayor's intentions questioned after taking donations from hoteliers

On his first day in office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel signed a series of executive orders banning political giving from lobbyists and contractors doing business with the city, part of his campaign pledge to move City Hall beyond the pay-to-play culture that has earned Chicago a national reputation. "Government can no longer be an insider's game, serving primarily the lobbyists and well-connected," Emanuel said on the campaign trail. Yet as mayor, Emanuel is taking in campaign donations from business interests who need his administration to provide crucial approval for major real estate developments, including high-profile hotel projects in some of the city's biggest tourist areas. Last month the mayor recorded a $10,000 contribution from a development company just a week before the Emanuel-appointed Chicago landmark commission approved the firm's request for a multimillion-dollar tax break to convert the Chicago Athletic Association building near Millennium Park into a hotel. Earlier in March, Emanuel shoveled dirt at a ceremonial groundbreaking for a high-rise Streeterville hotel and apartment complex with two developers who combined have given him $35,000 as mayor, including $15,000 this year. The donations highlight a path around the executive orders Emanuel signed, which aim to promote public confidence by insisting city officials "avoid transactions and circumstances that may compromise or appear to compromise the independence of city decisions." Under those fundraising rules, a company seeking a city contra