39

Ed Burke

Age: 70

Occupation: Alderman, 14th Ward

The City Council’s longest-serving member drops 17 spots after getting tangled up in the UNO charter schools mess: He helped the group secure a $65 million loan, and UNO returned the favor, later hiring Burke’s daughter-in-law and awarding a contract to a company owned by one of his precinct captains. Still, the finance committee chairman draws considerable power from his position as keeper of the purse strings. Even the Sun-Times’ revelation that Burke’s law firm has cost the city $3.6 million in property tax payments over the last decade doesn’t seem to break his stride.