Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she spoke with Ald. Edward Burke before hiring his

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she spoke with Ald. Edward Burke before hiring his son to $100K job


Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Wednesday that she spoke with longtime Ald. Edward Burke about a job for his son before her administration hired him to a nearly $100,000 per year job.

At the time Preckwinkle’s administration hired him, Edward Burke Jr. was under investigation for misconduct by the Cook County sheriff’s office where he worked for allegedly making inappropriate sexual comments to co-workers. Preckwinkle, who for weeks has avoided questions about hiring Burke Jr., made the statement at an afternoon news conference where her mayoral campaign unveiled a plan to expand Chicago programs that help small businesses in minority communities.

“I had a meeting with Ed Burke,” Preckwinkle said. “He shared with me that his son was looking for a new opportunity.”

Preckwinkle did not explain what the meeting was about but said she gave Burke Jr.’s resume to the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department, which vetted and hired him. It was unclear what the vetting process entailed, and her representatives declined to elaborate.

Read more: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-toni-preckwinkle-edward-burke-spoke-about-sons-job-20190123-story.html