Burke’s law firm reaped business from projects he helped win city approvals: report

New evidence shows Alderman Ed Burke (14th) may have privately benefitted from a wave of new developments he helped shepherd through the City Hall approval process.

The 50-year veteran alderman’s property tax law firm, Klafter & Burke, had some tie to at least eight new developments recently approved inside his Southwest Side ward, according to an investigation from the Better Government Association. Burke touted the projects in his February reelection campaign, which he won despite having been charged by federal prosecutors in an alleged extortion scheme.

Amigos Foods hired Klafter & Burke months after the alderman helped the company secure zoning approval for its $25 million new processing plant at 51st Street and St. Louis Avenue, the investigation found. The alderman had similar private links to multiple other recent projects in his ward, including a charter school, a Chicago Park District facility and a distribution center.

Burke often recuses himself from key votes because of his work as an attorney — the Better Government Association tallied 464 recusals between 2010 and 2018. But he often still navigates zoning and permitting approvals behind the scenes, a skill he touted during his re-election campaign.

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot has vowed to stamp out the unwritten rule of aldermanic privilege, which gives aldermen wide latitude to shape new development on their own turf. Lightfoot has pointed to the charges against Burke — that he held up approval of a driveway permit for a Burger King until its owner hired his law firm — as an example of the dangers of aldermanic privilege. [Better Government Association] — Alex Nitkin