Ex-Supreme Court justice Bilandic dies

CHICAGO -- Michael Bilandic, a former Chicago mayor and a former justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, was remembered as a hardworking man who proved nice people can be successful.

Bilandic, who succeeded the legendary Mayor Richard J. Daley after his death in 1976 but was booted out of office because workers were slow in clearing city streets of nearly two feet of snow, died late Tuesday. He was 78.

Mayor Richard M. Daley on Wednesday described Bilandic as hardworking and knowledgeable

"He made a strong contribution to the city," Daley said. "He was well respected."

Bilandic died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital despite efforts of physicians to resuscitate him, hospital spokeswoman Kelly Sullivan said. Bilandic was taken to Northwestern early Monday after suffering a mild heart attack Friday. He was in stable condition at the time of his death.

Northwestern cardiologist Dr. Dan Fintel on Wednesday said Bilandic suffered a rare heart rupture rather than a second heart attack as originally believed. Fintel said Bilandic's rupture of the free wall of the heart muscle was "very rare and is uniformly fatal."

"He was a great jurist, but even a greater human being," said Illinois Chief Justice Moses W. Harrison II. "I personally admired him very much. He was kind and considerate to me and other members of the court during the whole time that he served."

A native Chicagoan, Bilandic was an alderman who represented the city's Bridgeport neighborhood before succeeding Daley.

Bilandic was Chicago's mayor from 1976 to 1979. He lost the Democratic primary to Jane Byrne, who gained a bit of political revenge by beating the man who fired her from her consumer affairs post after she complained he improperly agreed to a taxi fare increase.

Blizzard of 1979

Some observers say Bilandic's mayoral fate was sealed by his administration's handling of the Chicago blizzard of January 1979. He took a considerable amount of heat after it was disclosed he authorized more than $300,000 in consulting fees to a former deputy mayor, including a $90,000 contract for snow removal that faltered after a winter storm covered the city with 20 inches of snow.

Black leaders said anti-Bilandic sentiment spread after "L" trains ran express to the city's largely white western suburbs during the storm, bypassing stations serving mostly black neighborhoods.

"I believe if it hadn't been for that snowstorm, he would have been re-elected in 1979 and probably gone on to serve a number of terms as mayor of Chicago," said U.S. Rep. William Lipinski, who served on the City Council with Bilandic.

The City Council on Wednesday held a moment of silence for Bilandic before the start of its monthly session.

Alderman Ed Burke, who with Bilandic was elected to the City Council in 1969, said the former mayor did not dwell on his loss to Byrne.

"Mike went on to have a very successful career in private law practice," Burke said. "He was then elected by his fellow citizens to the appellate court and then to the Supreme Court, where he served as chief justice, something no other Chicago mayor has ever achieved."