William Banks (alderman)
| William J.P. Banks | |
|---|---|
|
City of Chicago Alderman from the 36th Ward |
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In office May 1983 – April 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Louis Farina |
| Succeeded by | John Rice |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Joseph Panebianco Banks July 28, 1949 Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Galewood, Chicago, Illinois |
| Alma mater | DePaul University (B.A., J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
William Joseph Panebianco Banks (born July 28, 1949) was alderman of the 36th ward in Chicago from 1983 to 2009.
Banks is Italian-American; to avoid anti-Italian bigotry, Banks' father, currency exchange owner Vincenzo Giuseppe Panebianco, anglicized his name to James Joseph and added "Banks" to their surname. All his sons continued to use "P" or "Panebianco" in front of "Banks."
Banks earned a B.A. degree in 1971 and a law degree in 1975 from DePaul University.
Before his election as alderman, Banks served as Chief Research Aide and Legal Counselor to Congressman Morgan F. Murphy. Later, Banks served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago.
Banks is the Democratic committeeman for the 36th Ward, a party position within the Cook County Democratic Party. Banks took over as committeeman when long-time ward committeeman Louis Garippo died in 1981.
Banks is chairman of two well-funded political action committees, the "Friends of William J P Banks" and the "Citizens to Elect Committeeman William J P Banks", and controls a third, the "36th Ward Regular Democratic Organization".
Banks was first elected alderman in 1983. Banks succeeded first-term alderman Louis Farina, who declined to run for re-election in 1983 under pressure from then Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, because of Farina's eminent indictment. Farina was indicted on January 27, 1983 on charges of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion, and was subsequently charged with accepting bribes to get the contractor’s nephew a job at the airport and for fixing a drunk driving charge. Banks' 36th ward Democratic organization held a fund-raiser to help defray Farina's legal fees. Farina was convicted on December 7, 1983 and sentenced to four years, later reduced to three, and served 15 months.
An important facet of Banks' aldermanic career is his position as chair of the Zoning Committee of the Chicago City Council.
Banks has come under some scrutiny because his nephew, James J. Banks, is a zoning attorney and registered lobbyist, the busiest zoning lawyer in Chicago, who has a very high success rate in securing zoning changes. Banks recuses himself prior to all of James Banks' clients. (On October 11, 2007 then Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed James J. Banks as a salaried member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Tollway Authority).
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