Chicago Aldermen fight subpoenas in Carothers-related case

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Ten current or former Chicago aldermen are seeking to block subpoenas for their testimony in an upcoming federal trial of a developer charged with bribing Ald. Isaac "Ike" Carothers, who pleaded guilty today in the case.

The aldermen were subpoenaed by lawyers for developer Calvin Boender, who is scheduled to go on trial next month on charges he did $40,000 worth of improvement work for free at Carothers' home in return for the alderman supporting a zoning change for Boender's controversial project in his ward.
The 10 aldermen sought to bar their testimony at trial, citing immunity regarding their legislative activities.

The motion, filed last week by the city's Law Department, said that five of the aldermen were members of the city's Zoning Committee who had voted on the zoning change for Boender's controversial Galewood Yards project.

Former Ald. William J.P. Banks was chairman and Aldermen Ed Burke, Eugene Schulter, Ed Smith and Bernard Stone were members.