A former Illinois Democratic insider has a mellow new job — Michigan marijuana ‘ganjier’

NILES, Mich. — For many years, Mike Noonan was the consummate Illinois political insider. He aggressively labored on Democratic campaigns in all kinds of communities and was a giant participant within the behind-the-scenes jostling over laws on the state Capitol.

After years as a staffer and prime political operative for longtime Democratic boss Michael Madigan, Noonan was a lobbyist with an extended roster of purchasers in Springfield.

However a corruption scandal ended Madigan’s lengthy reign final yr. And since then, Noonan has left Illinois totally.

Final summer season, Noonan started what he hopes shall be a mellower, second profession as an proprietor of a natural marijuana farm and licensed “ganjier” on this small metropolis in southwest Michigan.

Noonan, 54, says he’s finished with politics in Illinois and is dedicating himself absolutely to combating for “the craft weed revolution” in his new dwelling on the opposite facet of Lake Michigan.

“Life has actually transitioned, and all for the higher,” Noonan says, carrying a smock within the retail store of his Southland Farms in Niles, Mich., about 100 miles from Chicago.

Noonan refers back to the store at Southland Farms as a “budtique” — reflecting the enterprise’ goal of offering an upscale expertise and “high quality weed” for hashish shoppers.

Subsequent to the money register on the entrance of the shop, Noonan proudly shows the certificates he earned as a ganjier — a licensed connoisseur of fantastic weed. He handed a course in northern California to develop into one among what are fewer than 200 ganjiers on this planet, educated to information hashish customers a lot as a sommelier advises wine drinkers.

Though he was not personally implicated within the Illinois corruption scandal, the native of Chicago’s south suburbs says he felt it was the proper time for him to go away the political scene.

“Let’s be trustworthy,” he stated. “Possibly I wasn’t the perfect at figuring out the individuals who shouldn’t be in politics, as a result of clearly, I nonetheless like and take care of loads of of us who are actually seen as scoundrels.”

Noonan stated his resolution to desert Springfield for Michigan ran opposite to the traditional knowledge motivating many energy gamers in Illinois. A lot of his closest allies in Democratic circles would grind via durations of turmoil by telling themselves, “The important thing to success in politics is staying within the sport,” he stated.

“That recommendation was so on-point as a result of I see, particularly in Springfield, you may survive in case you simply keep engaged,” he stated. “However for me, it was time to maneuver on. As a result of I had achieved loads, and I felt good about what I had finished.”

Getting ‘Noonan-ed’

Noonan started as a staffer for Madigan in 1994 and managed state legislative campaigns for allies of the longtime Home speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Celebration. He got here to wider prominence 20 years in the past by managing the primary marketing campaign for Illinois legal professional common of the boss’ daughter, Lisa Madigan.

Throughout the youthful Madigan’s tightly fought election in 2002, Noonan relished popping up exterior her Republican rival’s information conferences to supply immediate rebuttals for reporters attending these occasions. He was so good at it that the Republicans griped about “getting Noonan-ed.”

Throughout the 2002 legal professional common’s race, Noonan informed the Chicago Solar-Occasions he had three hobbies: fishing, the Chicago Bears and politics. However even earlier than going into politics, he had a deep appreciation additionally for marijuana — which was unlawful in Illinois on the time.

“Heaps and plenty of individuals have completely different secrets and techniques, so I’ll let you know that I’ve used hashish to take care of my points since 1986,” Noonan says.

He says the famously fastidious Madigan grew to become conscious of his weed behavior at one level comparatively early in his profession with the Illinois Democrats.

“In 1996, a competitor within the political panorama went and reported me for utilizing hashish to the speaker’s operation,” Noonan says.

Noonan says he anticipated to lose his job over his pot smoking. His supervisor within the Madigan group knowledgeable him he wouldn’t be fired.

“I had been a hard-working man and I believe, extra importantly, I had been profitable for them,” Noonan says. “They requested me to exit and work exhausting and assist get individuals elected, and I used to be serving to individuals get elected.

“And so the reprimand that I received from my boss on the time was, ‘You’ve been reported. It doesn’t appear to be affecting your work in any respect. See you tomorrow.’”

Noonan additionally believes Madigan gave him a go for his weed use as a result of he understood that, “No one is only one factor. And folks will be good, and they are often unhealthy.” A lawyer for Madigan declined to touch upon Noonan’s recollection of that incident.

ComEd scandal rocks Springfield

After serving to Lisa Madigan win statewide workplace, Noonan adopted the same old path of profitable Democratic Celebration operatives and Michael Madigan staffers, turning into a lobbyist in Springfield for largely company purchasers.

Among the many firms he represented within the Illinois Capitol was Commonwealth Edison. The large energy utility admitted in 2020 that it had employed Madigan allies as consultants and paid them for little or no work to curry favor with the speaker, who helped go laws that padded ComEd’s income dramatically.

Madigan resigned final yr after a file run as speaker and has been indicted within the scandal, however he has denied any wrongdoing and his case is pending in federal court docket.

In line with federal court docket data and sources, Noonan’s then-business companion Victor Reyes received a contract for his regulation agency with ComEd, allegedly as a part of the electrical firm’s efforts to please Madigan. Reyes has not been charged with against the law, and Noonan says he had nothing to do with Reyes’ regulation agency.

Noonan says he was “very disillusioned” with Illinois politics by the tip of his profession however doesn’t need to criticize any of his former co-workers and pals.

The state of affairs harm enterprise for the Roosevelt Group, the lobbying and public-relations enterprise Noonan owned with Reyes in downtown Chicago. Noonan says he offered his stake within the Roosevelt Group, and data present he canceled his registration as a lobbyist in Illinois in July 2021.

“I used to be related to lots of people who aren’t in politics any longer, lots of them as a result of the federal authorities determined they shouldn’t be in politics any longer,” he stated.

At that time, he stated he determined, “I would like one other act.”

A brand new profession within the weed enterprise

After many years serving to institution politicians and large enterprise pursuits in Illinois, Noonan says he’s now one of many little guys making an attempt to offer a classier, higher-quality different to the merchandise on provide from huge marijuana pursuits.

The whole lot in his retailer in Michigan is grown on website, from seed. Behind the budtique, Southland Farms has 5 climate-controlled rooms filled with dozens of extremely pungent, leafy marijuana vegetation. All of the merchandise are processed on the premises and offered solely there.

“There’s a tradition right here in southwest Michigan of not simply rising nice apples and nice vegatables and fruits, but in addition rising nice weed,” Noonan says.

To develop into a ganjier, he underwent six months of on-line coaching, three days of in-person lessons and a day-long examination in Humboldt County, Calif., in July. That very same month, Southland Farms opened its door. Noonan has two enterprise companions, together with his cousin.

Noonan says he needs the store to carefully resemble a vineyard or a craft brewery.

“You possibly can stroll right into a retail retailer within the hashish house and instantly see which type of inexperienced the proprietor likes extra —–- is it the inexperienced they put into the financial institution or is it the inexperienced they put within the bong?” he says.

“And though we like them each, the one which we put within the bong is far more vital to us and our clients.”

In Noonan’s workplace at Southland Farms, there’s only a single reminder of his 25 years in politics in his dwelling state: a “24 hours to victory” signal from an election-eve rally for Todd Stroger’s marketing campaign for Prepare dinner County Board president in 2006. Stroger received narrowly, after a then-U.S. senator named Barack Obama appeared on the rally.

Noonan says the signal reminds him to “simply maintain combating ‘until the tip” — and to not hesitate to ask for assist from pals in occasions of want.

Dan Mihalopoulos is a reporter on WBEZ’s Authorities & Politics Group.