Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity

Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity (CORE) is a front group for the electricity company, ComEd. The group, which was unveiled in September 2005, claimed that it had been formed to launch "a statewide effort to warn the public about political threats to the electric industry that jeopardize the Illinois economy."

On its website it describes itself as "a coalition of individuals, businesses and organizations who support continued reliability in the electric industry. We support competition, investment and economic development goals as the Illinois electric industry transitions to a more competitive marketplace." However, in January 2007 CORE spokeswoman Avis LaVelle told the Chicago Tribune that ComEd was the group's main funder but declined to provide details.

The Hill & Knowlton Connection
One month after CORE was launched, Chicago blogger Dorian Breuer pointed out that the groups website had been registered by Hill & Knowlton in August 2005. The website registration listed the PR firm's Jason Maymon as the agent. The domain name registration now provides no details on who registered it.

Funding
In its initial press release in September 2005, Barnaby Dinges stated that "CORE's primary funding source is ComEd." ComEd President Barry Mitchell told the Chicago Tribune that that the company has contributed almost $10 million to CORE since it was founded in 2005.

Personnel

 * Avis LaVelle, Media Liaison
 * Jennifer Schuh, Coordinator

Advisory Committee

 * Greg W. Baise, President/CEO, Illinois Manufacturers Association
 * Carnice Carey, Executive Director, Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce
 * Michael T. Carrigan, Secretary-Treasurer, Illinois AFL-CIO
 * James W. Compton, President, Chicago Urban League
 * Mike Fitzgerald, Business Manager, IBEW Local #134
 * Mary Gonzalez-Koenig, Executive Director, Spanish Coalition for Jobs
 * John T. Hooker, Senior Vice President of Legislative & External Affairs, ComEd
 * Phillip Jackson, Executive Director, The Black Star Project
 * Donald P. Jacobs, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus, Kellogg School of Management
 * Colleen McShane, President, Illinois Restaurant Association
 * Paul O\'Connor, Executive Director, World Business Chicago
 * Philip R. O'Connor, Vice President, Constellation NewEnergy
 * Juan Rangel, CEO, United Neighborhood Organization (UNO)
 * Jerry Roper, President/CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
 * Cesar A. Santoy, Executive Director, Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA)
 * Deborah Sawyer, President/CEO, Environmental Design International, Inc.
 * Tom Villanova, President, Chicago & Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council
 * David F. Vite, CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association
 * Douglas Whitley, President/CEO, Illinois State Chamber of Commerce

Contact Details
P.O. Box 3314 Chicago, IL 60654-9998 Phone: 866-395-CORE (2673) Fax: 312-202-6556 Email: info At illinoiscore.org Web: http://www.illinoiscore.org/

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