Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist decided not to run for re-election in after a sexual harassment suit was filed against him. Ethical turmoil of this sort is a radical departure from Wisconsin's history. In , Gov.
Robert LaFollette launched the Progressive movement and helped develop government programs that served as a blueprint for many New Deal initiatives during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. Wisconsin's dedication to so-called good government initiatives was furthered by LaFollette's son, Robert Jr. Progressivism also was embraced by Wisconsin's more contemporary politicians, including Sens.
William Proxmire and Gaylord Nelson. He served roughly half his fourteen-year prison sentence before it was commuted by President Donald Trump in February Before Ryan there was Dan Walker, who was sent to prison in for bank fraud after leaving office, and Otto Kerner, whose stellar reputation was besmirched by a conviction in for fraud involving a racetrack.
The prosecution of Kerner and other high-profile cases of corruption actually helped make the career of another governor, James R. Thompson, who came to prominence as the U. Attorney at the time. Update: Thompson, who later defended George Ryan when he was being prosecuted for corruption, died Friday, August 14 at the age of Lest the nearly twenty-year gap between the sentencing of former governors Walker and Ryan represent a period of innocence, there was another high-profile figure who fell in the s.
Dan Rostenkowski, the blustery chairman of the U. Representative Aaron Schock was issued a count indictment in There was Incubator bribes related to parking fines , Gambat mob-related court fixing Phocus more bribes , Haunted Hall ghost payroll.
Operation Silver Shovel, which involved illegal landfills and other environmental issues , has parallels to the Burke case, in the paranoia it instilled amongst aldermen about who was wearing a wire. More than 30 Chicago aldermen — members of the City Council — have been convicted of political corruption since Another, Willie Cochran, head s to trial in June to answer charges of wire fraud, bribery and extortion.
But the latest political scandal unveiled by federal prosecutors this month has shocked even hardened veterans of Chicago's political scene — and cast a shadow over next month's mayoral election. Authorities say Democratic Alderman Ed Burke, a year veteran of the City Council and chairman of its powerful finance committee, tried to shake down officials of a company that operates dozens of Burger King franchises in Illinois.
The candidate mayoral race already had been shaping up to the city's most competitive in decades. In the weeks since charges of attempted extortion against Burke were unsealed Jan. Simpson co-wrote a study last year that showed Chicago had tallied more convictions for political corruption than any other U.
Burke, who is running for re-election to the City Council next month, said he's "not guilty of anything. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley — have all found themselves under scrutiny for longstanding ties to Burke. Related: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's bombshell news leaves city at crossroads. The younger Burke left the job last year. Burke endorsed Chico, who worked as an aide to the alderman 30 years ago and in recent years partnered in a law firm that has earned millions lobbying at City Hall on behalf of Cisco Systems, Exelon Generation and Clear Channel and other companies.
Joe Ferguson, the city's inspector general, hopes the focus on corruption during this campaign is a sign that things will change. And its confluence with an election at a point in time that the city still has to grapple with significant fiscal issues because of a pension crisis both locally and at the state level, means that this corruption moment is one that actually could matter," Ferguson says.
David Greising, president and CEO of the Better Government Association, a local watchdog group, says it's not just corrupt individuals that are the problem. Aspects of how city government is structured also allow corruption to fester. Many aldermen like Burke have lucrative side businesses that create potential conflicts of interest with their duties as a public servant.
And then there's something called aldermanic privilege. It's not written into the ordinances or anything," Greising says. Burke's case is a perfect example of how the system can be abused, critics say.
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