Daley reappoints nephew to sports agency

Mayor Daley on Wednesday re-appointed his nephew and former campaign finance chief to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority mapping plans for a retail development near U.S. Cellular Field.

Peter Thompson helped his uncle raise more than $7 million in less than three months -- after Daley took a four-year break from fund-raising in the wake of the Hired Truck scandal -- on the mayor's way to a sixth-term landslide.

Now, Thompson will keep his unpaid seat on the agency that built and improved U.S. Cellular Field through Jan. 1, 2012.

Thompson, who works for Chicago Asset Management Company LLC, could not be reached for comment.

In 2007, when he first took his seat on the board, Thompson said his MBA from the University of Chicago, the 12 years he spent as a senior manager for Ariel Capital and his lifelong love for the White Sox made him uniquely qualified for the job.

"Finance and investments are what I do for a living. That's my sweet spot,'' the mayor's nephew said then.

"I have very strong business judgment, kind of an analytical ability and a great love for Chicago and for the White Sox. The mayor has had a chance to spend a lot of time with me. He's seen me grow up and evolve in my professional career. My education and experience speak for themselves.''

Over the years, the ISFA has presided over a series of stadium improvements designed to make U.S. Cellular Field more fan-friendly and less of what critics call a "mall-park.''

Now, the agency is in the early stages of planning restaurants, stores and other attractions across from the ballpark on 35th Street.

The development could replace the parking lots on the site where the old Comiskey Park used to be. The project would expand on recent renovations to the ballpark's Gate 5 entrance, with its atrium that leads to a walkway over 35th Street.

The ISFA owns the property, but anything it does with it would need agreement from the Sox. Other Major League Baseball teams have profited by putting up stores and restaurants around their stadiums. The Cubs, now under new ownership, are planning to do the same by developing a so-called "triangle building" adjacent to Wrigley Field.