The Chicago Tribune reports:
Chicago aldermen have used their newly expanded, taxpayer-funded expense accounts to hire relatives, lease expensive vehicles and pay for downtown parking, according to a Tribune analysis.
The money -- up to $73,280 for each of the 50 City Council members -- comes from a budget line that gives aldermen wide discretion to cover an array of expenses related to official duties. After years of aldermen crying poor, Mayor Richard Daley agreed to more than double those funds to $3.7 million for 2008 -- even as the city struggled with a growing budget hole.
The Tribune analysis of the 2008 expense funds, augmented by other public records and dozens of interviews, showed a broad range in what aldermen deemed necessary spending to do their jobs and serve their constituents. It also raised new questions about political patronage and nepotism on the public dime.
Who's in charge you might ask?:
Finance Committee Chairman Edward Burke (14th) was among several aldermen who leased SUVs. Burke paid $9,712 for the year to lease a Chevrolet Tahoe. Burke also has at his disposal an unmarked Chicago police car as part of a city-funded security detail.
Coincidentally, Burke's committee provides expense-account guidance to all newly elected aldermen.
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