In a statement, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “Elected officials are responsible for serving with honesty and integrity, with a moral responsibility to their constituents to uphold and abide by the law. In the case that they fail to do so, it is imperative that they are held accountable. That is what the jury decided today.”
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a statement, saying:
“With this jury’s verdict, Ed Burke should rightfully be remembered as a man who elevated personal ambition and greed over doing the people’s work.
“Along the way, Burke has had many, many enablers: the pernicious practice of aldermanic prerogative which, despite efforts to eliminate it, persists to this day, especially in zoning and development decisions. The other elected officials who, over the years, looked the other way as Burke systematically monetized the Finance Committee for his own personal benefit. And the party who gave Burke control over judicial nominations, so that decades of jurists became beholden to him.
“But like many before who feasted on their gluttonous power, Burke was felled because this total lack of accountability made him foolishly think he was invincible. So he grossly overplayed his hand. He dug his own grave and jumped in.
“Only time will tell if the lessons of Ed Burke’s ascent and spectacular fall will lead to desperately needed reforms begun, but not nearly finished, around transparency and accountability. But meanwhile, with this verdict, rendered by a jury of his peers, the tyranny of Ed Burke is over. I like to think somewhere, Harold is smiling.”
https://abc7chicago.com/alderman-ed-burke-trial-chicago-jury-deliberation-verdict/14212124/
by the way, who is Harold and why is he smiling?
Wha...?
Former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas urges leniency for Ed Burke, ‘whom I always felt met my standards for ethics’
https://chicago.suntimes.com/usa-vs-edward-burke/2024/04/30/paul-vallas-praises-ed-burke-worthy-leniency-letter-judge