Roland Burris has avoided controversy in his decades-long public career in Illinois, but he is a seasoned political player with deep ties to the Cook County (IL) Democratic Party.
The 71-year-old lobbyist who was appointed yesterday to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate by disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was the first African-American ever elected to statewide office in Illinois. He held the post of state comptroller from 1979 until 1991, when he was elected to one term as state attorney general.
Why Burris would now accept an appointment that many see as tainted – and which is likely to face multiple legal challenges - has baffled some political observers.
The Chicago Sun-Times notes that he has always shown an abundance of confidence, often referring to himself in the third person and declaring in his 2002 gubernatorial primary challenge to Blagojevich, “I am a visionary.”
In a 1994 interview with the paper, during his first run for the governor’s office, Burris said his past electoral success had been “divine providence” that began guiding him at age 15 when he decided to become a lawyer and public official.
“People said I was either crazy or divinely directed. I accept the latter,” he said. “I believe without a doubt that I am predestined to be a role model.”
Burris often tells how he made the decision to go into public service after leading a successful effort to integrate a community swimming pool in downstate Centralia. His father, Earl Burris, had spent $100 to hire a lawyer to represent his son, but the man never showed up.
“If we as a race are going to get anywhere, we need lawyers and elected officials that are responsible and responsive,” Burris recalled his father saying, adding that those words altered the course of his life.
After studying political science at Southern Illinois University, Burris got a law degree at Howard, then launched a career in banking. He became one of the first black professionals at Continental Bank. In 1973, he earned a cabinet post in then-Gov. Dan Walker’s administration.
Despite his historic election to statewide office first as comptroller and later as attorney general, Burris has been unsuccessful in subsequent bids for mayor and governor.
After losing his race against Blagojevich in 2002, he hung up a shingle as a lobbyist, forming Burris & Lebed Consulting LLC with Fred Lebed, a former director of the Cook County Democratic Party and a member of Blagojevich’s transition team. Among the firm’s clients are the Illinois Association of Mortgage Bankers, the Illinois funeral directors association and giant cable company, Comcast
Burris, his lobbying firm and his law firm have donated more than $20,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign since 2002. The lobbying firm also has received about $295,000 in state contracts from the department of transportation during Blagojevich’s two terms, according to state comptroller records.
At a press conference with Blagojevich yesterday, Burris refused comment on the corruption charges against the governor except tos ay, “You’re innocent until proven guilty.”
For his part, Blagojevich insisted his motivations for appointing Burris were pure.
“As governor, I am required to make this appointment,” Blagojevich said while introducing Burris at a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon. “He will be a great United States senator. Please don’t allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man.”
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