Chicago City Wire

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle remained conspicuously silent in the wake of former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke's conviction on federal corruption charges last week. Preckwinkle was the front-runner in the 2019 Chicago mayoral race until a detail emerged in federal charges against Burke that identified her as the beneficiary of Burke's $10,000 shakedown of a Burger King owner.

As Preckwinkle's mayoral bid floundered in January 2019, the Sun-Times reported she returned "$116,000 she raised at Burke’s house in January 2018." At the time, Preckwinkle's mayoral campaign spokesman said the candidate knew nothing of Burke's shakedown and was "appalled" by it.

“I won’t have my name dragged through the mud,” Preckwinkle said in an email to the Sun-Times.

A Preckwinkle spokesperson did not respond to an email from Chicago City Wire seeking comment from the Cook County president on the guilty verdicts in Burke's federal corruption case.

That, however, is what happened. During her successful mayoral campaign, Lori Lightfoot tagged Preckwinkle as a member of the "Burke Four," a collection of ballot contenders with close ties to the now-convicted former alderman. The other three whom Lightfoot dubbed as part of “Burke four” were Gery Chico, Susana Mendoza and Bill Daley, according to another news release from the Sun-Times.  

During the campaign, news reports revealed Preckwinkle had other political dealings with Burke. She had hired Burke's son to a nearly $100,000 county job in 2014. At the time, the younger Burke was being investigated for alleged misconduct as a Cook County Sheriff's Office employee. Eventually, Preckwinkle admitted that she spoke to Burke, who asked her to hire his son, at a press conference attended by now-Mayor Brandon Johnson, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Preckwinkle has not addressed the recent jury verdict in Burke's corruption case, and her spokesperson remained unresponsive to an email from Chicago City Wire seeking her comment on the guilty verdicts. In contrast, Mayor Johnson offered a statement on the matter. 

"Elected officials are responsible for serving with honesty and integrity, with a moral responsibility to their constituents to uphold and abide by the law," Johnson said according to a press release. "In the case that they fail to do so, it is imperative that they are held accountable." 

"That is what the jury decided today."

Lightfoot, however, issued a lengthy statement on Burke's conviction that references unnamed politicians who "looked the other way" as Burke "monetized" public business and "gave Burke control over judicial nominations," according to CBS News.

“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," Lightfoot said. 

“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.”