Been that way since the days of Pat Marcy and the outfit.
It started way before Marcy.
The entire Cook County Democratic Party is a criminal enterprise and was founded by criminals: http://www.amazon.com/The-Gambler-King-Clark-Street/dp/0809328933
It’s a short and interesting read. Cook County which is the City of Chicago’s county, has been corrupt for over a century. It’s a culture and it won’t change until Chicago looks like Detroit. Sadly, Chicago has a diversified economy, a major airport hub, a major rail hub, a massive E/W and N/S highway system and a big lake.
It won’t change in a century.