By Bill Cameron, WLS-AM News

(CHICAGO) City Council Finance Chairman, Ald. Ed Burke, marked 50 years in Chicago politics with a speech this afternoon at the City Club.

Just about everybody who depends on Chairman Burke for a job, a contract or political support became the sold-out audience.

Burke said some of his proudest achievements have been the no smoking in public places ordinance and clearing Katie O’Leary and her milk cow of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He blamed Peg-leg Sullivan’s careless use of his pipe in Mrs O’Leary’s barn.

“Recent evidence suggests that he was attempting to steal a pail of milk for punch from the O’Leary barn for a party at the Patrick McLaughlin house next door.”

Afterwards, we had questions for Burke but he blew by us, but his wife state supreme court justice Anne Burke did explain to us whey her husband is such a political survivor.

“He still does what I tell him to do because there’s no appeal after me!”

@ 2018 WLS-AM News