William Banks
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William Joseph Panebianco Banks is alderman of the 36th ward in Chicago; he was first elected in 1983.
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[edit] Early career
Before his election as alderman, Banks served as Chief Research Aide and Legal Counselor to Congressman Morgan F. Murphy. Later, Banks served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago.[citation needed]
[edit] Political career
Banks is the Democratic Committeeman for the 36th Ward,[1] a party position within the Cook County Democratic Party.[2] Banks took over as committeeman when long-time ward committeeman Louis Garippo died in 1981.[3]
Banks is chairman of two well-funded political action committees, the "Friends of William J P Banks" and the "Citizens to Elect Committeeman William J P Banks," and controls a third, the "36th Ward Regular Democratic Organization."[4]
[edit] Aldermanic career
Banks was first elected alderman in 1983. Banks succeeded first-term alderman Louis Farina, who declined to run for re-election in 1983 under pressure from then Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, because of Farina's eminent indictment.[3] Farina was indicted on January 27, 1983 on charges of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion for shaking down a building owner and construction company for building permits, and was subsequently charged with accepting bribes to get the contractor’s nephew a job at the airport and for fixing a drunk driving charge. Banks' 36th ward Democratic organization held a fund-raiser to help defray Farina's legal fees. Farina was convicted on December 7, 1983 and sentenced to four years, later reduced to three, and served 15 months.[5]
An important facet of Banks aldermanic career is his position as chair of the Zoning Committee of the Chicago City Council.[6]
Banks has come under some scrutiny because his nephew, James J. Banks, is a zoning attorney and registered lobbyist,[7] the busiest zoning lawyer in Chicago,[6] who has a very high success rate in securing zoning changes. Banks recuses himself prior to all of James Banks' clients.[8] (On October 11, 2007 then Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed James J. Banks as a salaried member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Tollway Authority).
Banks said there is "nothing unusual" about donations to aldermen from developers or their attorneys.[9]
In addition to the Zoning Committee, Banks serves on seven other committees: Rules and Ethics; Aviation; Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Budget and Government Operations; Finance; and Housing and Real Estate. Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Banks to lead the Commission of Zoning Reform. He is also a member of the Chicago Plan Commission.
As alderman he has proposed and sponsored a variety of ordinances. These include ordinances promoting home ownership, expanding emergency services, improving law enforcement, and supporting veterans by giving them extra points in city hiring selection.[citation needed]
Two city zoning inspectors with ties to Banks’ 36th Ward organization were among more than a dozen defendants charged on May 22, 2008 by federal prosecutors in "Operation Crooked Code" who alleged bribery in the Daley administration’s Buildings and Zoning Departments.[10] Beny Garneata, a Chicago developer and political campaign contributor, pleaded guilty on May 14, 2009 in federal court to acting as a go-between in a bribe-for-permits scheme. Garneata admitted that, in December 2007, he acted as a go-between to pass on a bribe to a city plumbing inspector while pocketing some of the cash. Garneata was charged with passing a $7,000 bribe to the inspector, Mario Olivella, who was also charged in the scheme. Garneata is a onetime client of lobbyist James Banks. Garneata and his companies have made $23,000 in campaign contributions since 1999, including $4,000 to the 36th Ward Democratic Organization run by William J. P. Banks.[11]
In late April, 2009, Banks announced his intention to retire from City Council and asked Mayor Daley to appoint his driver as his replacement.[12]
[edit] Professional career
Banks is a part-time alderman. Banks is an attorney in private practice. Banks is a lobbyist registered with Cook County [13] and the the State of Illinois[14]. Banks is co-counsel with Morrill and Associates, P.C., a law firm specializing in Illinois state and local government relations. Banks is also co-counsel with the law firm of his brother, criminal defense attorney[15] and lobbyist[14] Samuel V. P. Banks,[16] which is also the law firm of Banks' nephew, zoning lobbyist James J. Banks.[17] Belmont Bank & Trust, a bank in Banks' 36th ward, was founded in 2006 by and is owned by Banks' nephew, zoning attorney James J. Banks, who is also chairman of the bank's board of directors and the bank's landlord. Other directors of Belmont Bank & Trust include Samuel V. P. Banks (William's brother and law partner and James' father and law partner), State Senator James DeLeo, and waste management consultant Fred Bruno Barbara.[18] Belmont Bank and Trust is a designated Municipal Depository bank for the City of Chicago.[19]
[edit] Personal life
Alderman Banks lives in the Galewood neighborhood with his wife Shirley and their two children.
Banks is a member of several community organizations: the Blue Ribbon Commission of the Chicago Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers; the North Austin Business Association; the Fraternal Order of Police; the Joint Civic Committee of Italian-Americans; and the District Council for the Boy Scouts of America.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ "Cook County Democratic Party Ward Committeemen". Cook County Democratic Party. http://www.cookcountydems.com/Ward.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-08.
- ^ Exoo, Thales (2007-02-26). "What's a Ward Committeeman?". Chicagoist. http://chicagoist.com/2007/02/26/ask_chicagoist_whats_a_ward_committeeman.php. Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
- ^ a b Fremon, David K. (January 1, 1998). Chicago Politics Ward by Ward. Indiana University Press. pp. p. 238. ISBN 978-0253204905.
- ^ "Campaign Disclosure". Illinois State Board of Elections. http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosure/Welcome.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-05-08.
- ^ Gradel, Thomas J.; Simpson, Dick; Zimelis, Andris (2009-02-03). Curing Corruption in Illinois: Anti-Corruption Report Number 1. Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. http://www.uic.edu/depts/pols/ChicagoPolitics/Anti-corruptionReport.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
- ^ a b Mihalopoulos, Dan; Becker, Robert (2008-01-27). "City zoning process a family affair". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-code-banksjan27,0,2583410.story. Retrieved on 2009-02-18.
- ^ Chicago Board of Ethics (2008-06-13). "List of Registered Lobbyists". http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_EngineID=ccccadeegjfllmicefecelldffhdffn.0&contentOID=536944697&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Ethics%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Ethics&deptMainCategoryOID=. Retrieved on 2008-06-20.
- ^ Becker, Robert; Mihalopoulos, Dan (2008-08-20). "NEIGHBORHOODS FOR SALE: PART 5: Who calls the shots in your backyard? Not you.". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-zoning-nosay-20aug20,0,5685689.story. Retrieved on 2009-02-18.
- ^ Becker, Robert; Mihalopoulos, Dan; Little, Darnell (2008-01-27). "NEIGHBORHOODS FOR SALE: PART 1: How cash, clout transform Chicago neighborhoods". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-code-overviewjan27,0,7299892.story. Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
- ^ Coen, Jeff; Mihalopoulos, Dan (2008-05-22). "NEIGHBORHOODS FOR SALE: FOLLOWUP: Feds: City building inspectors bribed". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-federal-zoning-probe-webmay23,0,850028.story. Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
- ^ Korecki, Natasha (2009-05-14). "Chicago developer pleads guilty in bribe scheme; Garneata admits being a go-between for permits". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1574267,bribe-developer-guilty.article. Retrieved on 2009-05-21.
- ^ "Daley praises retiring Banks, mum on successor". Chicago Tribune. 2009-05-02. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/05/daley-praises-retiring-banks-mum-on-successor.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-08.
- ^ Cook County Clerk, Ethics and Campaign Disclosure division (2009-01-26). "Active Cook Lobbyists and Clients". http://www.voterinfonet.com/sub/disclosures.asp. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
- ^ a b Illinois Secretary of State, Lobbyist Division (2007-09-05). "Lobbyist List". http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/lobbyist/. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ Herguth, Robert (2009-02-20). "Hotel workers union cuts ties with connected Chicago lawyer". Crain's Chicago Business. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=33074. Retrieved on 2009-02-20.
- ^ Mihalopoulos, Dan (2008-05-02). "What's your alderman's side job?". Chicago Tribune. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/05/what-side-job-d.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
- ^ Novak, Tim (2005-11-28). "Attorney cashes in on uncle’s turf". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1219769,banks-alderman-112805.article.
- ^ Novak, Tim (2008-10-14). "The bank of Banks - Bank of alderman's nephew lends millions to his wife, other relatives and his legal clients". Chicago Sun-Times. http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/NewsBank/123D2CF36CDEE870/AA98CDC331574F0ABEAFF732B33DC0B2/2007-07-10-4115130540_x.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ Neely, Stephanie D.. "Municipal Depositories". Office of the City Treasurer. http://www.chicagocitytreasurer.com/finance/municipalDepositories.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-08.
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