After a lifetime of backroom wheeling and dealing, former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke faces the most consequential negotiation of his life on Monday at his sentencing.
After a lifetime of backroom wheeling and dealing, former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke faces the most consequential negotiation of his life on Monday — and in the most public of places.
In a federal courtroom on the 25th floor of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Burke, the longtime Democratic machine stalwart who dominated the City Council for most of his 54 years as an alderman, will be sentenced in a corruption case that rocked city politics and tanked Burke’s extraordinary career as a lawyer and elected official.
The sentencing hearing is among the most anticipated proceedings in years in Chicago’s federal court, a building that seen countless politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, handed prison terms, a veritable parade of alderpersons, county commissioners, state representatives, senators, governors and even a former speaker of the U.S. House.
But perhaps none wielded so much power for so long as Burke, the head of the vaunted Finance Committee who not only worked the city’s purse strings but also was a shrewd ward boss, political tactician and judicial slate-maker.
Those factors make Burke’s sentencing a significant referendum on Chicago’s nationally recognized brand of old-school corruption.
Ex-Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, right, exits the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on June 5, 2024, following a post-trial motions hearing for acquittal in his corruption trial which ended in Dec. 2023. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)
Ex-Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, exits the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on June 5, 2024, following a post-trial motions hearing for acquittal in his corruption trial which ended in Dec. 2023. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Dec. 21, 2023, after being convicted by a federal jury of racketeering conspiracy and a dozen other counts.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke, left, exits the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse with his attorney Chris Gair after he was found guilty of most of the charges in his corruption trial, Dec. 21, 2023.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, exits the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago after a guilty verdict in his corruption trial, Dec. 21, 2023.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke, left, exits the federal courthouse after the guilty verdict in his corruption trial, Dec. 21, 2023.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
Chicago FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert "Wes" Wheeler Jr. speaks at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Dec. 21, 2023, after former Ald. Edward Burke Chicago was convicted by a federal jury.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune
Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual talks to reporters following the verdict in the corruption trial of former Ald. Edward Burke at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, exits the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago after he was found guilty of most of the charges in his corruption trial, Dec. 21, 2023.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for his corruption trial on Dec. 12, 2023.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Daniel Solis, who was an FBI mole, arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for the Edward Burke corruption trial on Dec. 12, 2023.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
FBI mole and former Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago with his attorney, Lisa Noller, on Dec. 11, 2023, after another day in the corruption trial of former Ald. Edward Burke.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago during a lunch break in his corruption trial on Dec. 6, 2023.
U.S. Attorney
Then-Ald. Edward Burke points toward then-Ald. Daniel Solis in a video secretly recorded by Solis at Burke's offices on Sept. 26, 2016. The video was played for jurors at Burke's federal corruption trial.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse with wife Anne Burke on Nov. 30, 2023.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke and wife Anne cross Dearborn Street near the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse before the eighth day of testimony in his trial, Nov. 30, 2023.
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke gets into an awaiting vehicle after attending his corruption trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Nov. 28, 2023.
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune
Former 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke exits after attending his corruption trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Nov. 28, 2023, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune
Former 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke, center, arrives for his alleged political corruption trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Nov. 6, 2023, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune
Former 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke arrives for his alleged political corruption trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Nov. 6, 2023, in Chicago.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse during a lunch break in his corruption trial on Nov. 17, 2023.
Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune
Ex-Chicago Ald. Edward Burke and his spouse, former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, return to the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse following lunch break from his trial on Nov. 7, 2023.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune
Former 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Nov. 6, 2023, for his trial on corruption charges.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for a lunch break in his trial on Nov. 6, 2023.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke and his wife, former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, leave the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for a lunch break during jury selection for his trial on corruption charges, Nov. 6, 2023.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Nearly five years after he was first charged, ex-Chicago Ald. Edward Burke arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago to go on trial in a corruption case.
E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, right, listens to City Council discussion of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's $16.4 billion 2023 budget on Nov. 7, 2022.
Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, rides an elevator down from the second floor of City Hall after attending his final City Council meeting as an alderman on April 19, 2023.
Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, leaves the City Council chamber after talking to reporters following his final council meeting, April 19, 2023.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, right, gets applause after his farewell speech on his last day as alderman at the City Council meeting, April 19, 2023.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, speaks during a Chicago City Council Meeting on Sept. 21, 2022.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, walks the floor on June 22, 2022, during a Chicago City Council meeting at City Hall.
Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, at City Hall in Chicago at a special meeting about Mayor Lori Lightfoot's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers on March 16, 2022. Lacking a quorum, the meeting was adjourned.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, departs Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 4, 2019 after being arraigned on multiple federal corruption charges.
Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, appears at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on June 4, 2019. He pleaded not guilty to sweeping corruption charges alleging he abused his City Hall clout.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, center, arrives to the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago with his legal team on June 4, 2019 for his arraignment on multiple federal corruption charges.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, departs his home in Chicago early, June 4, 2019, on the morning of his arraignment for multiple federal corruption charges.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke speaks at the City Council meeting on May 29, 2019. Shortly after, Mayor Lori Lightfoot cut him off and said, "I will call you when I'm ready to hear from you."
Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke talks to reporters as he leaves his office through the rear exit on election night Feb. 26, 2019.
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke ignores questions from reporters after participating in a 14th Ward aldermanic candidate forum at New Life Community Church on Jan. 23, 2019.
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke sits in the audience section before a 14th Ward aldermanic candidate forum at New Life Community Church on Jan. 23, 2019.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Tape covers Ald. Edward Burke's name on the Finance Committee chairman's office door at City Hall on Jan. 8, 2019. Burke took over as Finance Committee chairman in 1983.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke talks with members of the news media outside his home after turning himself in at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke arrives home after turning himself in at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2019, in Chicago.
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke talks with members of the news media outside his home after turning himself in earlier at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2019, in Chicago.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke departs after turning himself in Jan. 3, 2019, at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke departs the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2019, after turning himself in.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke departs the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse Jan. 3, 2019, after turning himself in.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke departs the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2019, after turning himself in.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke departs in a taxi after turning himself in Jan. 3, 2019, at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke turns himself in at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2019.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke turns himself in at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2019.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke departs the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Jan. 3, 2019, after turning himself in.
Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke turns himself in at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2019.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke turns himself in at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, leaves his home in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2019.
Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, leaves his home in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2019.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Chicago Ald. Edward Burke attends the funeral for fallen Chicago police Officer Eduardo Marmolejo at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2018.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Chicago Ald. Edward Burke attends the funeral Mass for Chicago police Officer Conrad Gary at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago on Dec. 21, 2018.
Raquel Zaldivar/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke presides over the City Council Committee on Finance meeting at Chicago City Hall on Dec. 10, 2018.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke listens as Mayor Rahm Emanuel outlines his proposal Dec. 12, 2018, to offset potentially financially crippling future public pension payments.
Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, arrives for the St. Jane De Chantal Senior Club Annual Christmas party at the Mayfield banquet hall in Chicago on Dec. 3, 2018.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke returns to his Southwest Side home Nov. 29, 2018, after federal raids on his offices earlier in the day.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke returns to his Southwest Side home Nov. 29, 2018, after federal raids on his offices earlier in the day.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke returns to his Southwest Side home Nov. 29, 2018, after federal raids on his offices earlier in the day.
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke returns to his Southwest Side home Nov. 29, 2018, after federal raids on his offices earlier in the day.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Boxes are carried away by investigators from Ald. Edward Burke's 14th Ward office in the 2600 block of West 51st Street in Chicago on Nov. 29, 2018.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune
A Chicago flag sits near a desk inside Ald. Edward Burke's office at City Hall while brown paper covers the glass doors leading inside after federal agents raided the office earlier in the day Nov. 29, 2018.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Boxes are carried away by investigators from Ald. Edward Burke's 14th Ward office in the 2600 block of West 51st Street on Nov. 29, 2018, in Chicago.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Unidentified people exit Ald. Edward Burke's 14th Ward office in the 2600 block of West 51st Street on Nov. 29, 2018, in Chicago. The office was closed and the windows covered with brown paper for an FBI investigation.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
A reporter tries to take a photo through the brown paper lining the glass windows of Ald. Edward Burke's office in City Hall on Nov. 29, 2018. Federal agents raided the office, sources said.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Paper covers the windows of the City Hall office of Ald. Edward Burke on Nov. 29, 2018.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Reporters wait outside the office of Ald. Edward Burke at Chicago City Hall on Nov. 29, 2018.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke's 14th Ward office in the 2600 block of West 51st Street is closed and the windows covered for an FBI investigation on Nov. 29, 2018.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke's 14th Ward office in the 2600 block of West 51st Street is closed and the windows covered for an FBI investigation on Nov. 29, 2018.
Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, attends the renaming ceremony of a Southwest Side Chicago park as Irma C. Ruiz Park on Oct. 19, 2018.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, speaks at a City Council meeting in Chicago City Hall on Sept. 20, 2018.
Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, was honored at the City Club in Chicago on March 7, 2018, for his 50 years of public service.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune
Former Ald. Edward Burke arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for his trial on Dec. 12, 2023.
After a last-ditch effort by Burke’s legal team to postpone the sentencing was denied Friday, the stage is set for a legal spectacle that hasn’t occurred since ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison in December 2011.
To accommodate what’s expected to be a horde of media, friends and relatives of Burke, and curious onlookers, two overflow courtrooms will be set up at the courthouse at 219 S. Dearborn St. with a live video feed for those who can’t get into U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall’s main courtroom.
It’s unclear whether any live witnesses will be called, but last week, the judge disclosed that members of the public had been reaching out to her office directly asking to speak at the hearing.
Kendall has a wide range of options when it comes to fashioning a punishment for Burke, who turned 80 just days after he was convicted in December of racketeering conspiracy for using the powers of his elected office to try to squeeze developers to hire his private law firm.
Prosecutors have asked for 10 years in prison, saying Burke’s schemes, many of which were captured on undercover wiretapped recordings, show he was no novice when it came to graft, but a savvy and sophisticated professional when it came to identifying his marks.
Burke’s legal team, meanwhile, has asked for an alternative to prison such as home confinement, arguing he’s in ill health and that his lapses do not erase the life of a “fundamentally decent man” who did a lot of good for his city over a six-decade career.
After attorneys make their arguments, all eyes will be on Burke, who will have an opportunity to speak to the judge directly. He’s not required to do so, and judges typically assure defendants they will not hold their silence against them.
If Burke does choose to speak, the notably loquacious parliamentarian might be forced to walk a fine line, apologizing but perhaps stopping short of admitting guilt, as he’s expected to appeal his conviction to a higher court.
Kendall cleared the case for sentencing in a 47-page ruling late Friday denying Burke’s requests for a new trial or outright acquittal on key counts, acknowledging Burke’s “storied career in Chicago politics” but standing solidly behind the verdicts.
In fact, it is the context of Burke’s powerful political career that provides support for jurors’ verdicts on some of the counts, Kendall wrote, such as the guilty findings related to his tempestuous exchanges with Field Museum officials.
“Those same words spoken by a layperson could possibly constitute blowing off steam. But spoken by the longest-serving alderman and Chairman of the Committee on Finance during a phone call seeking acquiescence for their pending fee increase — that he had previously opposed — means the implications and consequences are night and day,” Kendall wrote.
“That is to say, a jury could reasonably conclude that Burke knew what he was doing and how his words affected (the museum officials), who ultimately kowtowed to Burke’s threats.”
The sentence requested by the U.S. attorney’s office would mean that Burke could very well die in prison. But a lengthy term behind bars is warranted, prosecutors say, given the “mountain” of evidence in the case — including hundreds of undercover recordings — that captured Burke in his own words and make it “obvious that Burke was no novice when it came to corruption.”
“Burke operated as a seasoned professional when it came to identifying new potential clients for his law firm and exploiting his power and position in order to secure their business,” prosecutors wrote in a recent court filing asking for 121 months behind bars.
To bolster their argument about the cost of Burke’s crimes, prosecutors estimated the overall financial loss he caused amounted to nearly $830,000.
Lawyers for Burke, meanwhile, argued the trial evidence showed Burke “did not receive a single penny” from his offenses, “nor did he cause any serious financial harm to any party.” Even the witnesses who were allegedly being shaken down testified Burke’s demeanor was “respectful, professional, and friendly — never aggressive, threatening, nor intimidating,” Burke’s filing stated.
They also have submitted an avalanche of character letters from friends, family and clergy, as well as current and former politicians, judges and others in the legal community.
Among the letter writers were former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, ex-Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and retired federal Judge William Bauer, who served on the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
There were also pleas of mercy from failed mayoral candidate Paul Vallas, and current and former City Council colleagues such as Ald. Nicholas Sposato, 38th, former Ald. Patrick O’Connor, 40th, and ex-Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, whose father, Eugene Sawyer, was elevated to the mayor’s office with key help from Burke after Mayor Harold Washington’s sudden death.
Burke’s wife, Anne, formerly the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, described Burke as a devoted husband and father who encouraged her to finish college and go to law school. He also helped “a hundred or more” struggling city kids with tuition and jobs, she wrote.
“He has always seen his role as taking care of people, whether they need money, or a job, or help fighting insurance companies,” she wrote. “I am devastated by the prospect that I will not be with Ed at the end of our lives. Please find compassion through the Holy Spirit in your decision.”
And Webb, a high-profile litigator who defended former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, said he has been personal friends with the Burke family for 40 years and urged the judge to “evaluate the totality of the person being sentenced.”
“At no time did I ever see any indication that he was other than a dedicated public servant, always interested in serving the citizens of the city of Chicago,” Webb wrote.
A jury in December found Burke, the longtime leader of the Finance Committee, guilty of a series of schemes to use his considerable City Hall clout to try and win business from developers for his private property tax law firm.
Among them were efforts to woo the New York-based developers of the $600 million renovation of the Old Post Office, extorting the Texas owners of a Burger King who were seeking to renovate a restaurant in Burke’s 14th Ward, and intervening on behalf of Charles Cui, a developer in Portage Park who wanted help getting a pole sign approved for a new Binny’s Beverage Depot location.
Burke was also found guilty of attempted extortion for threatening to hold up a fee increase for the Field Museum because he was angry the museum had ignored an internship application from his goddaughter, who is the daughter of former 32nd Ward Ald. Terry Gabinski, Burke’s longtime friend.
The jury acquitted Burke on one count of conspiracy to commit extortion related to the Burger King project.
Also convicted was Cui, whose sentencing is set for next month.
The jury acquitted Burke’s longtime 14th Ward aide, Peter Andrews, of all counts alleging he helped Burke pressure the Burger King owners into hiring Burke’s law firm by shutting down their restaurant renovation.
Burke’s high-profile, six-week trial featured some 38 witnesses and more than 100 secretly recorded videos and wiretapped recordings, offering a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of Chicago’s top political power brokers at work.
At the heart of the case were dozens of wiretapped phone calls and secretly recorded meetings made by Daniel Solis, the former 25th Ward alderman who turned FBI mole after being confronted in 2016 with his own wrongdoing.
In closing arguments, prosecutors put up on large video screens a series of now-notorious statements made by Burke on the recordings. Among them: “The cash register has not rung yet,” “They can go (expletive) themselves,” and “Did we land the tuna?”
Regardless of what Burke’s final sentence is, Monday’s hearing will provide a coda to the downfall of a political titan.
Burke was one of the last avatars of the old Chicago machine, the son of an alderman and Democratic ward boss who took over those roles after his father, Joseph, died of lung cancer.
He stayed alderman for more than five decades, accumulating power as the head of the Finance Committee and making a name for himself during the vicious “Council Wars” of the 1980s, when he and fellow now-convicted Ald. Eddie Vrdolyak pushed against Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor, at virtually every turn.
His ambitions to higher office — mayor, Cook County Board president, state’s attorney, Congress — repeatedly fell short. So he settled in as a City Council stalwart, meticulously dressed in pinstripes and pocket squares, holding forth about Chicago history to anyone who would listen and displaying deep knowledge of procedural minutiae.
Along the way, he became something of a judicial kingmaker, wielding enormous influence over which hopeful attorneys would be slated for the bench.
Among them was his wife, Anne, whom he supported through law school and ultimately made her way to chief justice of the state Supreme Court. Anne Burke, now retired from the bench, sat in the front row of the courtroom every day of her husband’s trial.
Burke’s success in politics ran parallel to his success as a property tax lawyer, and his potential ethical lapses drew scrutiny for years. Among them: He admitted to voting on legislation affecting Midway Airport while his firm worked for the airport’s main tenant at the time, Midway Airlines; he earned six-figure legal fees from a developer whom Burke worked for behind the scenes and who got a $1.2 million subsidy from City Hall; and he once got fined $2,000 by the City Board of Ethics for using “improper influence” in helping a tax client.
But it wasn’t until November 2018, when raiding federal agents put butcher paper over the windows of his City Hall suite, that the criminal consequences became concrete.
A criminal charge of attempted extortion was unsealed just weeks later, in January 2019. While Burke stepped down as Finance Committee chairman, he still easily won reelection in February of that year.
But as the case moved forward, he faced more charges, lost his ward committeeman post, saw his ward’s boundaries change, and chose not to run for reelection.
As alderman, Burke famously quipped that in Chicago, there were only three ways to leave office, “The ballot box, the jury box or the pine box.”
In the end, Burke may have stepped down of his own accord. But the jury had its say anyway.
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