Once Chicago’s most powerful alderman, Ed Burke walked into court Monday to face federal charges in the city’s highest profile public corruption trial in years – proceedings that are poised to lift the veil on the inner workings of the infamous “Chicago way.”
First elected in a special election to replace his late father as 14th Ward alderman in 1969, Burke spent his entire adult life building a clout-heavy empire.
He was a prolific political fundraiser, controlling three campaign committees worth millions. A property tax attorney, Burke also helped private clients navigate county government to slash their bills. In his role leading judicial slating for the Cook County Democratic Party, Burke was gatekeeper for anyone who wanted to be a judge. And he chaired the powerful City Council Committee on Finance for more than 30 years, with both an army of patronage workers and the ultimate say on the city’s most pressing matters.
“You have to understand that 80 to 90% of the important legislation in the City Council goes to the Finance Committee. You can’t pave a street unless you pay for it,” said political science professor Dick Simpson, who served on Chicago City Council alongside Burke in the 1970s.
“His staff was larger than all of the other staff of the City Council. And he controlled things like workman’s comp,” Simpson added.
Far and away Chicago’s most powerful alderman, Burke seemed untouchable. But in late 2018, the feds came knocking – and Chicago stood still. An FBI raid on his ward and City Council offices sent shockwaves through the political landscape.
By 2019, Burke was charged with one count of attempted extortion, accused of withholding his support for a building and driveway permit for a Burger King in his ward in an alleged attempt to solicit a campaign contribution and steer the company to use his firm for their property tax work.
The charge shifted the course of the city’s politics. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot recognizes the scandal – and her response, highlighting other candidates’ connections to Burke – was instrumental in her 2019 victory, just months after that FBI raid.
“I think at that moment, the tide turned,” Lightfoot said. “Chicago has been a town dominated by machine politics, and Ed Burke played that game with the best of them.”
“But I think people were just sick and tired of the corruption, and were open to the opportunity that I think my candidacy presented at that time,” she added. “So there’s no question that it definitely played a big and I think deciding role in my first run for office.”
Former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot delves into the significance of the upcoming Ed Burke corruption trial. She highlights the trial’s importance, considering Ed Burke’s historical influence and the unique evidence, including recorded tapes, that may play a pivotal role.
In May 2019, prosecutors unveiled a superseding indictment against Burke, charging him with 14 counts of racketeering, extortion, bribery and more. Also indicted alongside Burke were his longtime political aide Peter Andrews and developer Charles Cui. All three have pleaded not guilty.
That indictment was the culmination of a sprawling, years-long investigation. The feds built their case against Burke meticulously, taking the extraordinary step of turning a City Council colleague into a mole.
Caught in allegations of his own corruption, then-25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis agreed to wear a wire for two years on Illinois’ biggest players: Burke, as well as House Speaker Michael Madigan, also indicted on racketeering and bribery charges last year. Madigan has also pleaded not guilty, with his trial set to begin in the spring.
“Essentially the feds said to him, let’s make a deal,” Simpson said of Solis’ arrangement. “You wear a wire and help us get the information. We will let you do without jail time.”
Solis signed a deferred prosecution agreement in 2018, and those bombshell recordings will come to light for the first time at Burke’s trial.
Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, noted that the tapes are key in the government’s case because the charges were based on Burke’s own words.
“As we used to say back in the day, it’s almost impossible to cross-examine tapes,” Lightfoot said. She stripped Burke of his position as Finance Committee chair upon taking office in 2019. But she noted she had seen the way Burke operated years before.
“It’s no secret now that he tried to use his power to get me years ago, to dangle a judgeship in front of me,” Lightfoot said. “This is a man who understood how to maximize power and how to get what he wanted.”
Burke chose not to run for reelection in 2023. He remains the longest serving alderman in Chicago history. Now, nearly five years after that FBI raid, it’s not just Burke on trial – it’s the entire Chicago machine.
“I think this is probably one of the most significant public corruption trials of a generation,” Lightfoot said. “Ed Burke is somebody who was on the lips of so many generations of FBI agents and former AUSAs, and the fact that he’s been charged and now it’s going to trial is a very significant development, not only in the history of public corruption cases, but frankly, in the history of the city.”
“It may well be the end of an era,” Simpson said. “The Mike Madigans and the Eddie Burkes are not likely to come again.”
