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Indicted Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) has resigned the seat she has held since Aug. 5, 1994, when she was appointed by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley to fill the vacancy created by the death of her husband, Lemuel, powerful chairman of the Council’s Budget Committee.
Austin’s decision to retire from rather than fight the new ward map has made it easier for the Black Caucus to accommodate the loss of more than 85,000 African-American residents over the last decade.
Federal prosecutors say recent FBI surveillance of Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) undermined her claim that she is medically unfit to stand trial on public corruption charges.
Austin is accused of taking home improvement materials — sump pumps, a dehumidifier and kitchen cabinets — as kickbacks from a developer overseeing a $50 million development in her ward.
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Federal prosecutors said indicted Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin is exaggerating health issues to avoid going to trial on fraud charges, saying the FBI recently observed her going about political duties and running daily errands.