Chicago Wins $1M From Bloomberg Innovation Contest

The city of Chicago has won $1 million in a contest created by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Chicago was one of five winners in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge contest, including Houston, Philadelphia, Providence, R.I., and Santa Monica, Calif. More than 300 cities pitched ideas to the contest, which is designed to spur innovation in American cities. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the prize Wednesday.

Chicago plans to harness computers to create a data-driven "predictive analytics platform." It would track trends and allow city leaders to identify problems before they are obvious.

Bloomberg's name is a familiar one in Chicago, where the mayor ran television ads last month in support of a 2nd District Congressional candidate.

Robin Kelly won the Democratic primary in a special election to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. Some say the $2 million Bloomberg's SuperPAC spent in anti-gun ads helped Kelly rise above her opponents.

The commercials touted Kelly's achievements and took direct aim at Debbie Halvorson, a former one-term congressman who received an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association during her time at the Capitol.

Both Kelly and Emanuel denied knowing about ads ahead of the race.