Rahm: City To Continue Paying for Daley's Defense
By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 11, 2011 3:30PM
Mayor Emanuel walked a fine line yesterday after the news that his predecessor Richard Daley could sued for alleged police brutality conspiracies related to the litany of abuses tied to former policeman Jon Burge.
Emanuel went on record as saying that Burge should be stripped of his pension while the City should pick up the tabs for Daley's legal fees.
“We have an obligation, as a city, to pay for that legal representation. That said, [I intend to] make sure that the dollars spent are being watched over and not being reckless and running up unnecessary legal bills.”
That Daley's attorneys were hired by the city was one of the surprises of the story and, in fairness, Burge's alleged abuses occurred during Daley's tenure as Cook County State's Attorney and his early months as mayor. The City Law Department is legally bound to provide for Daley's defense. Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer ruled that Daley could be deposed by attorneys for Michael Tillman. Daley's attorneys filed a motion asking Pallmeyer to reconsider her decision.
Emanuel was more than happy to concur with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's efforts to strip Burge of his police pension. The Police Pension Review Board deadlocked on a January vote to revoke Burge's pension, the vote split evenly between Daley appointees (who voted to revoke) and police officers who did Burge a solid and voted to allow him to retain his pension.
“I believe … that when you’re convicted of a crime — and I’m not talking about a speeding ticket, I’m talking about something that deals with you professionally — you’ve lost the benefits associated with that because you’ve dishonored the office,” Emanuel said.