Walter Burnett, Jr. was born August 16, 1963, at Cook County Hospital in the Illinois Medical District.[2][3] Burnett served two years in jail for armed bank robbery in Kankakee.[4]
Political career
Burnett had an 11-year career working for the Cook County government, where he had a variety of jobs including working as special assistant to Jesse White who was then Cook County Recorder of Deeds. Burnett later worked on Jesse White's campaign for Illinois Secretary of State.[3] In 2023, Gregory Hinz of Crain's Chicago Business described Burnett as being a protege of White.[5]
Aldermanic career
Burnett in 2014
Despite a 1993 Illinois state law that barred those convicted of a felony from holding local office, in 1995 Burnett ran for alderman in the newly redistricted 27th ward.[4] Burnett defeated Dexter Watson, a protege of Rickey R. Hendon who had been appointed to succeed Hendon after Hendon's election to the Illinois Senate.[3] Burnett has subsequently been reelected in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.
In 2018, J. B. Pritzker appointed Burnett to the gubernatorial transition's Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee.[6]
Ahead of the 2011 Chicago mayoral election, Burnett was one of several black Chicago political figures involved in talks to have three black contenders choose a "consensus" black candidate to rally around. These talks led Congressman Danny Davis and State Senator James Meeks to withdraw from the election and endorse the candidacy of Carol Moseley Braun, a former United States Senator and ambassador, as the "consensus" black candidate.[7] In the runoff of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Burnett endorsed Toni Preckwinkle against Lori Lightfoot.[8] In the initial round of the 2023 Chicago mayoral election, Burnett endorsed Mayor Lori Lightfoot for reelection.[9] After Lightfoot was eliminated in the 2023 election's first round, Burnett endorsed Paul Vallas in the runoff.[10]
After becoming mayor in 2023, Brandon Johnson selected Burnett to serve as vice mayor. Unlike previous vice mayors, for whom the position was mostly-ceremonial and had no budget, Johnson reorganized the position for Burnett to have a $400,000 budget and act as an official community liaison for the mayoral administration.[11]
