June 19, 2008

Today we met at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. The prayer group started off a little slow. Hey it's 7 in the morning. Once we started sharing about what was going on in our lives and the things we wanted to see change the time took off and we were done before you knew it. I'm eagerly praying to connect with more business people who want to see change in the downtown area.

Chicago Judge quotes Luke at city official charged with corruption

The Gospel is glorified in corruption scandals.

Ex-Chicago Department of Buildings supervisor gets 15 months for taking bribes By Jeff Coen |Tribune staff reporter12:23 PM CDT, June 13, 2008

A federal judge Friday sentenced a former Chicago Department of Buildings supervisor to 15 months in prison for taking bribes, saying she wanted to send a message to other employees that public corruption is not acceptable.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow told Kurt Berger that his decision to take money to lift stop-work orders was extremely serious. Lefkow likened it to a judge who made a decision in a court case, "and then accepted a check for $1,000 from the winning side."

"You know that is not the way to carry out a public trust," Lefkow said. "The people of this city relied on you that you would act with integrity."

Berger, 45, had pleaded guilty. He had been charged as part of Operation Crooked Code after he accepted a payment through an inspector who was cooperating with the city's Office of the Inspector General and federal agents. Berger's attorney, Jeffrey Steinback, told Lefkow his client had accepted responsibility for his actions. Public safety was not compromised, Steinback said. Berger viewed the situation as him lifting orders so fixes could be made, the lawyer said, and then taking "thank yous" from contractors.

"It wasn't with the sense that something structural was about to happen, or electrical wires were hanging out and the public was about to be exposed to them," Steinback said.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Juliet Sorensen disagreed with that view.

"He was responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the building code," Sorensen said. He was willing to ignore that for payments, she told Lefkow. "That was the bottom line."

When Berger addressed the court, he told the judge he had devastated his family through what he did. Counselors had become involved, and Berger said he knew his wife and three children would suffer when he went to prison.

He had worked for the city for 10 years before the case and had lost his dream job, he said.

"It was a selfish act I participated in without thinking about the consequences," Berger said.

Lefkow said she hoped the sentence she imposed would lead others to think about what it would mean for them if they followed in Berger's footsteps.

The judge agreed Berger had come from a good family, had supported his children, had been a good Catholic and had been entrusted with an important job by the City of Chicago.

"To whom much is given, much is expected," Lefkow told Berger, quoting from the Gospel of Luke.

A Hub for All Chicago Downtown Prayer Groups

My intention in creating the Chicago Downtown Prayer Meetup blog was to create a space for all of the Lord's prayer groups that meet in downtown Chicago. So if you are blessed to lead one, I would be blessed to list it on the calendar and also link to your site, if you have one.

Just contact me!

John

Meeting on Thursday 6/12 (FIELD TRIP!)

Please note that we're having a field trip on Thursday, 6/12. The meeting will NOT be at the Merchandise Mart, but will be at Bethesda Christian Center @ 4538 W Fullerton @ 7:15 AM

Peace,

John

Chicago Downtown Prayer Meetup

Welcome to the official Blog of Chicago Downtown Prayer Meetup. This will be your source for happenings involving prayer in downtown Chicago and the thoughts, inspirations, and concerns that come out of it.

Please visit our site at Meetup.com.

Grace and Peace,

John
Organizer