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Burke hit with ethics fine over efforts to back subsidy for client’s new HQ
The sanctions come as embattled alderman faces extortion charges relating to his property tax law firm
It’s hardly the biggest of his problems right now, but add a city Ethics Board fine to the pile of troubles on Alderman Ed Burke’s plate.
The ethics board said the embattled 14th Ward alderman violated city rules when he advocated for a tax increment financing subsidy for a new Downtown headquarters for Presence Health Care, according to the Chicago Tribune. The company was a client of Burke’s personal property tax law firm.
Burke had said he wouldn’t take part in a debate over the controversial subsidy for Presence Health, then advocated on the firm’s behalf during a hearing on the issue. He did, however, recuse himself when the time came for a vote on the deal, according to the Tribune.
The City Council eventually approved the subsidy, despite some opposition to giving a subsidy to the Catholic health care system for its stance on abortion and sterilization.
The ethics board’s $2,000 fine is another headache for the 50-year veteran of the City Council. Burke is facing criminal charges he tried to shake down owners of a South Side Burger King to hire his firm for property tax appeal work in exchange for his support of their city permit requests.
Burke’s side job handling property tax appeals has long been slammed as a conflict of interest, and the Better Government Association reported recently his law firm did work for a number of developments he helped shepherd through the City Hall approval process. [Crain’s] — John O’Brien