For decades, much of 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke’s political power stemmed from his iron-fisted control of the city’s nearly $100 million workers’ compensation program, which he operated behind closed doors with no oversight as chairman of the CIty Council’s Finance Committee.

Repeated attempts by the City Council’s Progressive Caucus to wrest control of the program from Burke — or give Inspector General Joseph Ferguson the power to audit it — failed.