Alderman, City of Chicago  (1991-2019)

 

Joe Moore brings over 40 years of political, legal, and local government experience to the table. Moore cut his teeth in politics as a high school volunteer in local, state, and national campaigns, and while in college, managed a congressional district for a major presidential candidate. He worked for seven years as an attorney in the City of Chicago Department of Law, where he represented the City in a wide variety of cases at the trial and appellate court level, including the Illinois Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Moore was elected to the Chicago City Council at 32, the youngest person serving in the body at that time. During his long tenure on the City Council, Joe was widely acknowledged for his political independence, effectiveness, and ability to build coalitions across the political spectrum. He served as chairman of a number of City Council committees, including the powerful Committee on Housing and Real Estate.  

As alderman, Moore built relationships with business and labor leaders, real estate developers, city department heads, sister agencies, and government officials at the federal, state, county, and local levels. Moore also served as his ward’s committeeman, a political position that enabled him to further build his friendships with elected officials at all levels of government.

Moore gained worldwide renown as the first elected official in the United States to implement “participatory budgeting,” a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making in which community residents decide how to allocate a portion of a municipal budget. The process, which began in Moore’s 49th Ward, has expanded to over 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada.  

Moore’s connections and friendships extend nationally through his longtime service to the National League of Cities (NLC), an organization that advocates on behalf of the country's 19,000 cities, towns, and villages. Moore served in numerous leadership positions including the NLC's Board of Directors and chaired several of the organization’s policy committees and councils. There he worked with local elected officials from cities large and small to develop national municipal policy priorities and explore best practices to ensure professional development.

Moore also served as President of the National Democratic Municipal Officials organization (DMO), a Democratic National Committee affiliate, where he developed a national advisory board of corporate government affairs directors, trade association professionals, organized labor leaders, policy organizations and lobbyists to build bridges of understanding and garner support for the organization. In that capacity, Moore served on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee.

After leaving the City Council in 2019, Moore formed Joe Moore Strategies, a government affairs consulting and lobbying firm that has represented a wide variety of clients, including real estate developers, tour operators, cannabis dispensaries, associations of housing providers and small businesses, foreign consulates, and businesses seeking government licensing and procurement opportunities. 

 

Moore’s wife, Barbara, who previously served for 13 years as Executive Director of the National Democratic Municipal Officials organization, joined Joe Moore Strategies in 2023, bringing to the firm her extensive experience working with local government officials from across the nation.
 

Moore graduated cum laude with a degree in political science from Knox  College in Galesburg, Illinois, and received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law where he served as an editor on the prestigious DePaul Law Review.