Chicago – The Better Government Association and The Chicago Sun-Times have joined forces to expose the insidious connection between political clout and lobbying. Frustrated Illinois citizens can be reassured that on this President’s Day the BGA and the Sun-Times are working to reveal the way people with clout are able to work the system and line their pockets. We’re also proposing changes that would outlaw many of these activities.
The BGA and Tim Novak from the Chicago Sun-Times compiled and reviewed documents showing that State Representative Dan Burke (D-23) runs a lobbying firm while also serving in the Illinois General Assembly and collecting a city pension. Dan Burke’s lobbying firm has earned over $310,000 since 2005. Rep. Burke’s firm, Burke Cornell Consulting, is run out of his district office on the Southwest side and as luck would have it, Burke’s brother, powerful Alderman Edward M. Burke (D-14), owns the building. Alderman Burke says there is no conflict despite the fact that the BGA and Tim Novak examined records indicating Rep. Burke has lobbied City Hall on behalf of ten companies that include:
- Diverse Development which won $1.4 million from the City to build 23 homes.
- Earthlink, the Internet service, which wanted a city contract to provide wireless Internet service throughout Chicago. Earthlink had paid Burke Cornell $130,000 by the time City Hall abandoned plans two years ago to provide citywide Wi-Fi service.
- Concourse Communications, which won a contract five years ago to provide wireless Internet service at O'Hare Airport. It paid Burke Cornell $30,000 in lobbying fees. Concourse Communications' owners include Cardinal Growth, a venture capital firm owned by the mayor's friend Robert Bobb. The mayor's son Patrick Daley worked for Cardinal Growth at the time.
- Elite Electric Co. of Melrose Park, which paid the lobbyists $25,000 in fees. The company has no contracts with City Hall.
- ADP, the payroll-processing company, which paid Burke Cornell $16,500 to lobby the city's procurement department last year.
BGA Executive Director Andy Shaw said, “Illinois may be the only state in the country where the brother of Chicago's most powerful alderman can collect a city pension and a state legislative salary—while he lobbies his brother (and others) on behalf of businesses that want help from the city and will happily contribute to politicians, including Burke's brother, to get that help. Meanwhile, Dan Burke gets free office space from that same brother, and Dan Burke's business partner is free to lobby on behalf of state clients who may need Dan's vote to further their aims. And by the way, Dan will eventually get a second pension from the state for serving in the state legislature. It goes without saying that Illinois MUST eliminate pension double and triple-dipping. One public pension is enough for Dan Burke and everyone else. Burke’s activities may not violate the letter of the law, but it violates the spirit of the law—it’s a conflict of interest and it's inside dealing at its worst. It’s time for a ban on public officials lobbying any branch of Illinois government. Somewhere down the line clout for hire increases the cost of government—and that’s a bill taxpayers can ill afford to pay.”
Things you can do to learn more and help:
- Read the story in the Sun-Times.
- Go to The Better Government Association and find out other ways to help our fight to clean up government and make it as transparent as possible.
- Call your elected officials to propose legislation that would prohibit current and former government employees from working as or with lobbying firms.
- Help the BGA fight for fair, honest and efficient government.