Patrick Judge

The line between embattled Chicago Ald. Edward Burke’s lucrative law practice and his public office is so thin that he has recused himself from hundreds of City Council votes that have sent millions of dollars in benefits to his private clients — from mega bond deals to tiny zoning changes. Burke’s dual roles as the most powerful alderman on the council and high-end tax attorney for companies with business before the city have played out for decades. But the potential for conflicts of interest have taken on heightened interest after federal investigators raided Burke’s City Hall and ward offices in recent weeks. An examination of every City Council vote in the last eight years by the Better Government Association and WBEZ — the most comprehensive review of Burke’s record to date — found that Burke has used a parliamentary maneuver to recuse himself a startling 464 times. The comparable total for all 49 other aldermen combined is 108.

See the police files and locations for the shootings that were the basis of a WBEZ/Better Government Association investigation into police accountability.