Alderman Ed Bus Scrapes by on $13 a Day

Alderman Ed Bus Scrapes by on $13 a Day

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Blagojevich may know all the presidents, but does he know the alderman of the 53rd ward? That, of course, is Ed Bus.

He’s the alter ego of Justin Kaufmann—Chicago Public Radio’s Web Editor, and a member of the sketch comedy group Schadenfreude.

In 2006, former Illinois Governor George Ryan had just been convicted on corruption charges, which included steering business to friends in return for vacations and gifts.

Prosecutors pointed to Ryan bank records showing he withdrew less than $7,000 in nearly a decade.

So to find out just how a public official might in fact live on a few bucks a day, we turned to Alderman Ed Bus.

Originally aired April 20, 2006