The 2002 Democratic primary for governor featured the most ill-starred cast in the history of Illinois politics.
The winner, Rod Blagojevich, is now in a federal prison in Colorado, serving a 14-year sentence for corruption. One of the runners-up, Roland Burris, was Blagojevich’s choice to fill Barack Obama’s unexpired Senate term. Burris’ two years in the Senate didn’t help his career. He was admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee for “misleading” testimony on whether he’d offered to raise money for Blagojevich in exchange for the appointment. His tombstone became a national joke. Time magazine named him one of its “100 Least Influential People.” Unable to land a teaching position, Burris now runs a storefront “School of Politics” on the South Side.
Local
Now school's out for summer -- and for Vallas.
In a decision expected to rock the city's education system, a Superior Court judge Friday ordered Vallas removed from his job.
In her 27-page decision, the judge agreed with critics of Vallas that he had taken a "sham" course to become qualified to serve as superintendent.
"The evidence was overwhelming that from the start, efforts were made to accommodate the appointment of Vallas as superintendent of the Bridgeport public school system at every level," the judge ruled. "The court orders that Paul Vallas be removed from his office."
