Politics
Mayoral Hopeful John Kelly Continues Campaigning in Chicago Fire Stations Despite Ethics Board Probe
Video: Mayoral candidate John Kelly appears in a video filmed outside a Chicago Fire Department station. The video was posted to his Instagram account on Aug. 29, 2026. (jkellyformayor / Instagram)
Mayoral hopeful John Kelly is continuing to campaign in Chicago Fire Department stations, even as the Chicago Board of Ethics continues to probe him for violating the city’s ethics laws.
Eleven days after deleting videos of his first three visits to Chicago fire stations after WTTW News reported they apparently violated the city’s ethics laws, Kelly posted a new video that shows him standing outside a fire station before delivering what he says are pizzas and salads for the “hard-working men and women of Chicago.”
The video, posted Saturday, ends as Kelly, accompanied by a man he identifies as “Tom from Luke’s Pizza on Harlem Avenue,” enters the fire station after saying he’s “going to shut the cameras off.”
The name of the fire station, carved into the building, appears to have been blurred by Kelly’s campaign in the video.
“No cameras inside, but I can share that our first responder’s passion to protect Chicago is inspiring,” Kelly’s campaign wrote in the caption of the video, which ends with his campaign logo, just like the first three now-deleted videos.
The city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance bans candidates for city office from “intentionally (using) any city property or resources of the city in connection with any prohibited political activity.” The maximum punishment for violating that ordinance is a $20,000 fine per violation, records show.
That law bans candidates from campaigning on city property, regardless of whether the visits are recorded or used in videos or advertisements.
Kelly’s campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions from WTTW News about Kelly’s latest campaign visit to a Chicago fire station.
Chicago Board of Ethics Deputy Director Lauren Maniatis declined to comment on the most recent video posted by the Kelly campaign, citing the confidentiality of the board’s enforcement actions, but confirmed that the Governmental Ethics ordinance “prohibits any candidate for elected city office from intentionally using any city property or resources of the city for campaigning for any elected office.”
Kelly’s most recent visit to a Chicago fire house was unauthorized, as were the first three visits, according to a statement to WTTW News from CFD Director of Media Affairs Kathy Chaney.
“The Chicago Fire Department has not, and will not, authorize any visits to any firehouses or other CFD facilities for any candidate,” Chaney said.
The Chicago Board of Ethics has repeatedly punished candidates for elected office for using city property in their campaign advertisements.
In a video posted to social media after the first three videos were removed, Kelly acknowledged he “may have violated some ethics rule about campaigning on city property,” using his fingers to make air quotes around the word ethics.
In addition to the ongoing probe of his decision to repeatedly campaign on city property, Kelly did not file his required statement of financial interests with the Chicago Board of Ethics until Tuesday, following an inquiry from WTTW News.
City ordinance requires every person who qualifies as a candidate for elected city office to disclose information about their income and investments within five days of launching a bid for office.
Kelly created a campaign committee with the Illinois State Board of Elections, allowing him to accept contributions from supporters, on Oct. 27, 2025, records show.
Kelly’s spokesperson did not respond to questions about why Kelly did not file his statement of financial interests when he launched his campaign 10 months ago.
Instead, the spokesperson pointed out that Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias filed his required statement of financial interests 20 days after he announced his campaign for mayor.
“Candidates who fail to file after being notified by the Board of Ethics are subject to being found in violation of the ordinance and having their names, violations, and fines made public,” according to the board’s website.
There is no indication any candidate has faced sanctions for not meeting the five-day requirement based on public records published by the board.
Kelly owns the AllCirco lobbying firm, and has represented the White Sox, the United Center and Bally’s in dealings with the city.
Kelly told the Board of Ethics that he was a registered lobbyist in the city of Chicago until June 30, and remains a registered lobbyist for Cook County and the state of Illinois, according to his statement of financial interests.
Kelly owns a commercial property near the Mount Greenwood campus of St. Xavier University, according to his statement of financial interests.
Kelly registered to vote in November 2024 from a Gold Coast condominium, in time for that month’s presidential election, according to Chicago Board of Election Commissioners records obtained by WTTW News in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
“Since 2024, John has lived, voted and made his permanent residence in the city of Chicago,” Kelly’s campaign spokesperson said. “Any suggestion otherwise is a lie.”
Kelly bought that property in June 2025, according to records maintained by the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
Kelly voted in this year’s March Democratic primary, records show.
Candidates for mayor must have lived in the city for at least one year before Election Day, which is Feb. 23, 2027, according to city ordinances.
Records maintained by the assessor’s office show Kelly has not claimed his Gold Coast condo as his primary residence, which would entitle him to a break on his property taxes worth approximately $1,000.
Kelly, a graduate of Mount Carmel High School, told WTTW News he was “very committed” to the city of Chicago.
In December 2025, he and his wife sold the Orland Park home they had lived in since December 2010, according to records from the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
Kelly also owns a home worth $3 million in Homer Glen, located southwest of the city in Will County, records show.
Kelly’s wife, Julie, registered to vote from that address in April 2026, according to records obtained by WTTW News in response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the Will County Clerk’s Office.
Kelly told NBC5-TV that he built the Homer Glen home as a “summer residence” for his family.
Records maintained by the Will County Assessor’s office show the owners of the Homer Glen property have not declared it to be their primary residence, entitling them to a property tax break of no more than $8,000.
Kelly’s campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions about why Kelly had not declared a primary residence to take advantage of breaks on his property taxes.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
