Burke tried, but failed, to leverage his political clout to strong-arm business for his tax appeals firm out of the New York business that redeveloped the Old Post Office.
The feds say a 601W Companies affiliate was going to hire him for property tax appeals for another building. Burke’s firm did the work. 601W reaped the savings but decided not to hire Burke after his offices were raided.
Companies are recognizing increasing demand from employees to work from home, which has provided safety and convenience for office workers for much of the pandemic.
In a survey of Chicago executives, 43 percent thought employees would return to the office three days a week, instead of the full five, reflecting a shift in workplace culture that could stay post-pandemic.