William Banks
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William Banks is alderman of the 36th ward in Chicago; he was first elected in 1983.
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[edit] Public Service
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, where he handled over 10,000 cases.
Currently, Banks is a member of several community organizations: the Blue Ribbon Commission of the Chicago Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers; the North Austin Business Association; the Fraternal Order of Police; the Joint Civic Committee of Italian-Americans; and the District Council for the Boy Scouts of America.
[edit] Aldermanic career
Banks was first elected alderman in 1983.
An important facet of Banks aldermanic career is his position as Chairman of the Zoning Committee. He is responsible for overseeing all land development projects in the city. Because of this experience, Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed him to lead the Commission of Zoning Reform. He is also a member of the Chicago Plan Commission. Banks has come under some scrutiny because his nephew, James Banks, is a zoning attorney who has a high success rate in securing zoning changes. Alderman Banks, however, recuses himself prior to all of James Banks' cases, thus ensuring to the best of his ability that the ruling opinion remain unbiased.
As alderman he has proposed and sponsored a variety of ordinances. These include ordinances promoting home ownership, expanding emergency services, improving law enforcement, and supporting veterans by giving them extra points in city hiring selection.
In addition to the Zoning Committee, Banks serves on seven other committees: Rules and Ethics; Aviation; Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Budget and Government Operations; Finance; and Housing and Real Estate.
[edit] Personal life
Alderman Banks lives in the Galewood neighborhood with his wife Shirley and their two children.
[edit] External links
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