A federal corruption charge against Chicago Ald. Ed Burke has led peers to hand control of the $100 million-a-year workers’ compensation program to the city finance department. Burke, who had overseen the program for decades, fought program oversight and staffed it with political allies.
Chicago has seized and sold nearly 50,000 impounded vehicles since 2011, hitching drivers to mounting debts, a recent investigation found. The city’s ticketing laws disproportionately harm low-income residents.
Chicago had nearly 15,000 municipal employees paid at least six figures in 2017, up more than 1,000 from the previous year. That’s more than 40 percent of the city’s workforce.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel ordered an audit of the city’s $100 million-a-year workers’ compensation program following Ald. Ed Burke’s resignation as finance committee chair. Burke has long fought program oversight.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Jan. 4 that longtime Ald. Ed Burke resigned as chairman of the city’s finance committee. The move came the day after federal agents served Burke an attempted extortion charge.
Federal prosecutors claim Burke used his position as alderman to solicit business for his law firm, which specializes in Cook County property tax appeals. Felony attempted extortion could come with up to 20 years in prison.
Fixing Chicago’s outdated governance would benefit the entire state. Pritzker should use his new job – and the megaphone that comes with it – to help make that a reality.
Outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel is publicly pushing for a constitutional amendment to the state’s pension clause. Pension reform is the only way to combat rising property taxes and prevent further budget chaos in Illinois state and local governments.