Chicago, Wed. December 13, 2023
Former Alderman Danny Solis likes his hookers Asian and his Viagra free. Not exactly a candidate for canonization.
That’s all I knew about the little weasel until yesterday when I went down to the federal building for the Burke Trial with old pals Peter Nolan and Jimmy Strong.
The Feds have probably wanted to get their claws into Burke for decades cuz he’s the quintessential high profile Chicago pol. I met him through my brother Danny around 1985 when I returned home to Chicago after a career in the theatre in New York City.
I talked my way into a cushy job as the Special Events Coordinator for the newly launched State of Illinois Center, which was the controversial multi-million-dollar architectural landmark designed by the late Helmut Jahn that was on the receiving end of intense criticism from the press and public about its many flaws, especially its lack of proper air conditioning and supposedly “ugly design”.
I created a program of ethnic events year-round which invited the public to sample the cultures of Chicago’s many neighborhoods in the 800-seat auditorium, on the plaza and all over the building. We always got on the nightly news and could pretty much count on photos of my events in the front pages of the Sun-Times and Tribune.
Of course my favorite event was right around St. Patrick’s Day for “Illinois Salutes the Irish”, which featured Irish dancers, singers, police bagpipe bands and many of Chicago’s great and not so great Irish politicians. Our signature act was 14th Ward Alderman Ed Burke playing the. piano while Illinois Speaker of the House Phil Rock sang “Danny Boy” and “Galway Bay”.
I’d caught their act one night at a party at Pete Nolan’s home in Glencoe and asked Rock and Burke if they would consider bringing their act to the SOIC, now the Thompson Center. They were both very receptive and would annually pack the place with their dignified Irish American blarney.
They became my friends and while Phil Rock is now in heaven, I’ve always regarded Ed Burke as a classy guy.
So out of respect for my old friend Ed Burke, we paid a visit to his trial yesterday.
Must admit I don’t think the government has much of a case against him, especially after watching the defense attorney Chris Gair questioning former Alderman Danny Solis about setting up Burke to save his own ass from jail.
I’ve met some weasels in my day but this guy Solis takes the cake. He admitted on the witness stand that the FBI had paid him a visit years ago and that they had the goods on him and admitted on the witness stand yesterday that he had his phone tapped and that he wore a wire to trap Burke and anybody else he could net into his web of indiscretion.
Chris Gair got Solis to admit he was a liar, and that he had lied to friends, the feds, and many of his associates, including his own family.
The government has no case against Alderman Burke and they have wasted one helluva lot of taxpayers’ money, time, and good faith on this mope Danny Solis. Is that the best you got?
Best part of the day yesterday was seeing all the folks in court who were there to wish Ed and Anne Burke well and support them.
God bless them.
Merry Christmas to the scrooge feds and to you little Danny Solis, enjoy your Asian hookers you weasel.
-30-
