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-Land of the Free

Chicagoans aren’t born cynics. We’ve just had it beaten into us from birth with stories like this one

2019-09-16

[Chicago Tribune] Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, is the powerful reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown

...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel...
Democrat who got rich in his private law practice, lowering property taxes for the well-connected, while also running the city’s Finance Committee for some 40 years.

During that time Burke had a hobby ‐ picking judges and putting them on the bench. He’s under a federal extortion indictment for allegedly squeezing the owners of several Burger King restaurants.

As you may know, Burke’s wife, Anne, has been a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court since she was appointed in 2006. Her term as chief justice runs through October of 2022.

I’ve always found her to be a warm and gracious lady. And in his prime, her husband was ruthless and brilliant old school Chicago Irish pol worthy of respect in a tough business. He carved the great public roasts, and if he got the largest, bloodiest piece, well, he had made sure he was the one with the big knife.

But in January 2018, Ed Burke threw a fundraiser at the couple’s home for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who is also chair of the Cook County Democratic Party.

Preckwinkle had hired the Burkes’ son and put him on the Cook County payroll in a $100K job.

Lori Lightfoot used those public relations disasters to launch herself past the befuddled Preckwinkle and into the mayor’s office.

And cleaning it all up, like cartoon janitors with push-brooms in those old "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" cartoons, complete with the ironic tuba music, came the state’s Judicial Inquiry Board, which investigates complaints about judges.

The Judicial Inquiry Board ruled that Anne Burke didn’t violate the rules when Ed threw the Preckwinkle fundraiser at their home. But the board wouldn’t explain its ruling, saying it wasn’t allowed to disclose "specifics regarding its decision, findings or information about it’s deliberations on any matter."

Translation: shuddupyoumouth.

And if that doesn’t say Chicago, what does?

Posted by:Fred

#4 Reanimate Joe Mendiola...

Posted by: M. Murcek 2019-09-16 03:14

#3 ~~it's~~ not poopy, dammit. Parts of speech... why do they all always conspire against me? [ball bearings ring like wineglasses]

Posted by: Snomolet Dingle1191 2019-09-16 03:08

#2 ||: Chicago, that swaddlin' city!
It's loopy, it's poopy, it's... pretty.
The pols sit around
While brown sausage is ground
And the youths toot this flatulent ditty... :||

Posted by: Snomolet Dingle1191 2019-09-16 03:05

#1 BINASH

Posted by: Lex 2019-09-16 01:06

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