Powerful Ald. Edward Burke (14th Ward) has begun to make good on his plans to dispense part of the more than $8 million in his three campaign funds to City Council candidates in the April 5 runoff election.
State records released this week show Burke, the longtime chairman of the council’s finance committee, contributed $1,500 to 46th Ward candidate Molly Phelan and almost $5,000 total to four incumbent aldermen through a political action committee he chairs.
Phelan, an attorney, is vying with social worker James Cappleman to replace retiring Ald. Helen Shiller. Phelan campaign manager Karen Lazar told the the Chicago News Cooperative that Burke’s contribution was unsolicited. Lazar said Phelan and Burke met in December to discuss constituent services and as they talked, Burke discovered that Phelan’s great-grandfather, Edward McGuire, was mentioned in End of Watch, a book on Chicago police officers killed in the line of duty co-written by Burke.
Burke has used The Burnham Committee, a political action committee he directs, to steer contributions to a few of his colleagues facing runoffs. The group on Tuesday contributed $1,500 to Ald. Latasha Thomas (17th Ward) and gave $1,500 to Ald. Timothy Cullerton (38th), $1,250 to Ald. JoAnn Thompson (16th) and $1,000 to Ald. Toni Foulkes before last month’s general election. Thompson also received $1,000 from Burke’s campaign fund.
Burke did not respond to requests for comment.
Both Thomas and Phelan have received support from people tied to Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, who clashed publicly with Burke during the mayoral campaign.
Thomas is expected to receive Emanuel’s backing and she has been endorsed by For A Better Chicago, a political action committee led by Greg Goldner, who helped manage Emanuel’s 2002 congressional campaign. Phelan received $9,200 from investment banker David Herro, who is a co-chair of Emanuel’s inaugural committee. (Herro is also a board member of the Chicago News Cooperative.) Lazar said Phelan met with Emanuel this week to seek his support but that he has decided to remain neutral.
Emanuel’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
$1,500 measley dollars ?
If I were one of the aldermen that rec’d this kind of “support” I would tell him thanks, but no thanks. That pittance is not going to be enough to secure my vote for him to remain chair of finance committee.