Indicted Chicago Alderman Ed Burke just got $1.9M in tax refunds, interest for car-rental agencies at Midway Airport

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Fourteen years ago, the Chicago City Council agreed to build a parking garage at Midway Airport for car-rental companies, but Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) abstained from voting because he represented two of the rental agencies that would lease space there.

Now, the city’s longest-serving alderman has helped Avis and Budget drastically reduce their property taxes at the garage, getting them refunds and interest totaling $1,936,380.91.

Those are among the biggest tax refunds Cook County has issued in the past 10 years.

The alderman’s law firm, Klafter & Burke, collected two refund checks totaling $877,970.81 on Feb. 1. On Monday, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas issued two more refund checks totaling $1,058,410.10 for the car-rental businesses owned by Avis Budget Group.

Subtracting the refunds Avis Budget got for 2013, 2014 and 2015, it ended up paying a total of $3.1 million in taxes.

And another refund — of more than $400,000 — is in the pipeline.

The refunds came after federal authorities charged Burke with shaking down a Burger King operator in his Southwest Side ward by withholding approval for city permits to obtain legal business for his law firm.

Another great one from investigative reporter Tim Novak.