Solis replacement demands review of permits and licenses approved by disgraced alderman

The alderman who replaced disgraced Zoning Committee chairman-turned-FBI mole Danny Solis (25th) is demanding an exhaustive review of all “previous 25th Ward permits and license requests” made during Solis’ tenure.

The request by Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th) was made at the rookie alderman’s second City Council meeting, just two weeks after an unprecedented racketeering and extortion indictment against deposed Finance Committee Chairman Edward Burke (14th) revealed the fruits of Solis’ two years of undercover work for the feds.

It included allegations that Burke tried to extort legal business from 601W Companies, developers of the Old Main Post Office, in exchange for his help with a variety of matters, including an $18 million tax increment finance subsidy, a $100 million tax break and help resolving issues with Amtrak and the city’s Department of Water Management.

In those recordings, an irritated Burke was caught on tape asking Solis, “Did we land the, uh, tuna?” and complaining that the “cash register has not rung yet” and, until he scored the legal business, he was not “motivated” to help the developer with its issues at the Post Office. “As far as I’m concerned, they can go f--- themselves,” Burke said.

But, Sigcho Lopez said Wednesday that big fish schemes like the Old Main Post office are not the reason why he is demanding the exhaustive review. It’s about the little guy.

“As I’ve been in office for two weeks now, we see people coming to the office with promises that were made. People say there were promises for liquor licenses or permits. They have already invested money without the permits. Without the proper channels. It goes back to the mayor’s concern about how ... aldermen have used their prerogative,” Sigcho-Lopez said.

Sigcho Lopez was asked what he hopes to find in an exhaustive review of licenses and permits granted by Solis, at least since the former aldermen went “missing from office” in January.

“The favoritism. ... The pay-to-play culture that we have. We see small businesses waiting for a chance while others are demanding what was promised to them. We need to create ... clear guidelines where everybody obeys by the same rules,” he said.

Solis (25th) has confirmed his role as an FBI mole and pleaded for privacy, through his attorneys.

“Mr. Solis has decided to cooperate with the federal government to continue to serve the city of Chicago’s best interests. Because his cooperation is part of an ongoing federal investigation, Mr. Solis cannot comment on the allegations against him contained in the recently unsealed affidavit that is part of the federal investigation,” a statement from Foley & Lardner LLP said earlier this year.

Sun-Times file

The Sun-Times disclosed earlier this year that Solis had worn a wire to record more than a dozen private conversations as movers and shakers sought official city actions from Burke.

Solis has not been seen in public — and has steered clear of City Hall — ever since he was exposed as an FBI mole. His colleagues view the role as an act of betrayal.

The Sun-Times has since reported that Solis agreed to cooperate with the feds only after being confronted with allegations of his own wrongdoing compiled, in part, when the feds were tapping his phone.

He stepped down as chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee after the Sun-Times disclosed the sordid details, including trips to massage parlors, a constant supply of Viagra and a steady stream of campaign contributions provided by business people seeking city actions.