The final chapter of Ed Burke’s spectacular downfall from the heights of power in Chicago ended Monday with a for his conviction on racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion charges. Former Ald. Burke — who sat on City Council for over five decades, chaired its all-important Finance Committee, had a heavy hand in who could run for Cook County judge, ran a lucrative law practice on the side — going to prison? Plenty of people who know this city’s history likely never thought that would happen.
But it has, and it’s another welcome blow to the old ‘Chicago way’ of backroom deals at the expense of honest government. Burke should be required to serve every single day of that two-year prison term. Assistant U.
S. Attorney Sarah Streicker argued for a sentence of slightly over eight years (97 months) during the hours-long hearing at the Dirksen Federal Building before U.S.
District Judge Virginia Kendall. Two years isn’t the bang prosecutors wanted, but it’s not a whimper either. At 80, and for a man who rose as high as Burke did, even two years in prison is punishment and humiliation, a stain on his legacy that Burke, his family and friends fought hard to avoid altogether.
A number of for Burke because of his age and his long list of charitable deeds and generosity. Good deeds are all well and good, but courtrooms are full of stories about convicted felons who paid for funerals or a promising young person’s college tuition. That’s not a get-out-of-prison-fr.
