# A lawyer with no office runs for mayor > William J. Quinlan, whose father was Richard J. Daley's corporation counsel, says he knows the Chicago system well enough to break it. - Title: A lawyer with no office runs for mayor · Chicago Sun-Times - Summary: William J. Quinlan, whose father was Richard J. Daley's corporation counsel, says he knows the Chicago system well enough to break it. Quinlan is betting… - Keywords: chicago, mayoral race, politics, city hall, elections, news, local, lawyer, office, runs, mayor, Chicago Sun-Times - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/09/15/william-j-quinlan-candidate-chicago-mayoral-race-2027-son-richard-j-daley-corporation-counsel - Published: 2026-09-15T19:38:34.579+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: chicago, mayoral race, politics, city hall, elections, news, local ## A new name in the race Attorney William J. Quinlan announced Tuesday he is running for mayor of Chicago, pitching himself as a reformer who knows how City Hall works from the outside. > understands the system, but is not part of the system ## His father was the insider Quinlan's namesake father served as city corporation counsel under Mayor Richard J. Daley, one of the most connected legal jobs in old Chicago. > the ultimate Chicago insider ## Then Blagojevich got arrested Quinlan followed his father into government law, spending three years as general counsel for Illinois. That ended when Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested. ## He quit public service After the arrest, Quinlan resigned. He said the embarrassment destroyed his desire to work in government ever again. > At that time, I was watching a situation that had such great hope. And I felt like that hope wasn't achieved. ## Election lawyer for Democrats He rebuilt his career representing leading Democrats, including work on Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. ## The fire that killed his family As a child, Quinlan lost his mother and younger brother in a fire at the family's Sauganash home. Northwest Side neighbors pulled him out, risking their own lives. ## More loss after that Another brother died after struggling with mental illness inside what Quinlan calls a fragmented system of care. A grandfather was killed by gun violence. > navigating a fragmented system of care ## What the grief taught him Quinlan, 56, says the losses made him a stronger and more empathetic leader, and left him feeling he owes the city something back. > I realized that life is to be cherished. It comes with it an obligation to give back. ## He fought City Hall for CPS Quinlan donated his time to represent Pedro Martinez after Mayor Brandon Johnson fired the schools CEO. He says that gave him a front-row seat to the dysfunction. > I stood up and fought City Hall. No one in this field can say they did that. ## His charge against Johnson Quinlan accuses the mayor of serving himself and the Chicago Teachers Union that helped elect him, rather than students or residents. > acting on behalf of himself and his political gain by helping the special interest that got him elected ## A million-dollar head start He formed a political advocacy group over a year ago that raised $1 million for neighborhood symposiums and policy study. Roughly $600,000 of it is left. ## Fresh money this week On top of the leftover advocacy funds, Quinlan added $250,000 in campaign contributions in the week he launched. ## Owing nothing to anybody Quinlan's core pitch is independence. He is not an elected official, he says, and does not answer to special interests or big donors. > What we're offering is someone who's willing to think about the residents, not the million-dollar donors. ## Twelve against the mayor Eleven other challengers were already running before Quinlan joined, all trying to make Johnson the city's second straight one-term mayor. ## Standing out by being boring With the field this crowded, Quinlan is wagering that a lack of political baggage, not a bigger platform, is what separates him. > You have people who want to make a name for themselves, or they're part of the political group that have been running for multiple offices ## The pitch on the budget He frames the city's finances as the real test, arguing Chicago needs someone willing to make unpopular calls instead of protecting a reelection. > What Chicago needs, given its financial crisis, is someone who will make tough choices on behalf of the residents. ## Key takeaway Quinlan is betting that a self-funded outsider with insider bloodlines can cut through a field of twelve challengers to Brandon Johnson.