It is not possible that any move made by this guy is done without knowing what will happen.

Ethics board: Burke didn't know his City Council move could affect property tax appeal clients

Ald. Edward Burke has been cleared by an ethics panel that looked into whether he violated city conflict-of-interest rules when he sidelined an effort to increase the property taxes paid by the owners of two buildings his law firm represents.

Board of Ethics Chairman William Conlon issued a statement Wednesday that said the alderman “submitted compelling evidence” that he did not know the proposed City Council “order” he stalled could have affected firms represented by his law firm, Klafter & Burke, in property tax appeals cases.

“He had never received a copy of the order and never prior to the meeting informed of the order or what the order contained,” Conlon said. The ethics board also posted its opinion.

Although Conlon did not name Burke specifically, in keeping with ethics board rules, the facts he recited were identical to those in a complaint about Burke referred to the board.

Burke, who is now aware that the order could affect his firm’s clients, has pledged to withdraw his motion to refer the order to the Finance Committee that he controls as chairman, Conlon added.

The order, which sought to have the council require Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration to take steps to increase the property tax assessment on seven commercial properties, was introduced at a January meeting by Ald. Ricardo Munoz, 22nd. Munoz passed around copies of his proposal at the meeting but did not specifically give one to Burke, he said.

As the Tribune first reported, Munoz asked to send the order to the Housing Committee, whose chairman had agreed to give it a hearing, but Burke called for it to instead go to Finance. When there are conflicting calls for committee assignment, matters are sent to the Rules Committee, where they often wither on the vine.

The seven properties cited in the order were sold for more than twice as much as Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios valued them, Munoz contends.

Two of the properties are owned by companies that Burke's law firm has saved millions of dollars in property taxes by appealing to lower the assessments that are used to determine tax bills. The lower the assessment, the less paid in taxes.

If Munoz's proposal passed, and the city succeeded in increasing assessments, the owners of the seven buildings, including the two represented by Klafter & Burke, would pay more in property taxes.

City code states that “no official or employee shall make or participate in the making of any governmental decision with respect to any matter in which he has any financial interest,” earned money from during the past year or expects to earn money from in the coming year.

Munoz’s proposal was spurred by “The Tax Divide” an investigation published by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois that found that many large commercial properties are underassessed, punishing small businesses and shifting more of the tax burden onto homeowners.

In a coda to his statement, Conlon said “the board finds it surprising and inefficient that the City Council does not have a rule requiring that written orders, resolutions and the like be circulated to all members of the council in advance of their introduction and consideration.

“To allow documents obviously prepared in advance not to be circulated to alderpersons and the administration undercuts the integrity of the process and diminishes public confidence in the operation of city government.”

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Back in the 80s it's telling that Mayor Washington was in political battles with two Eddies. Only Burke was personally nasty, according to Harold AND Vrydolyak.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.