CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Former Ald. Ed Burke's racketeering conviction is leaving those who fought for him or against him thinking about his legacy.
Thirty-second Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack agreed in a way that City Council ethics reform is a part of former Ald. Ed Burke’s legacy. Burke was convicted Thursday of using his power to pressure developers to use his tax appeals law firm.
“When we were pushing back against a lot of these appeals that he was doing, starting quite a few years ago, and we were able to amend the Ethics Ordinance, it was really because of the activities of Ed Burke and several other aldermen, some who had been convicted. That really has changed I think the direction of the City Council’s,” Waguespack said.
Wguespack saw this conviction coming.
“A lot of us knew that there were a lot of unethical behavior happening in the City Council…On this issue, I’m not surprised that the jurors held them accountable,” Waguespack added.
Fifteenth Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez, a former Burke ally and now running for Congress, said elected officials should be held to a higher moral standard than the general public.
“Unfortunately, we, as the flawed humans God has created, sometimes fall short, and when that trust is questioned, it makes it harder for anyone in office to be viewed without skepticism,” Lopez wrote in a statement.
Thursday, Burke was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy in federal court. He was convicted of federal program bribery, attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity.
Burke’s racketeering count, alone, carries a maximum 20-year sentence.
The WBBM Staff contributed to this report.
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