Her father, Anthony C. Laurino, became the 39th ward alderman in 1965 and served for nearly three decades; he was quoted in a 1987 interview with the
Chicago Tribune as saying that he walked the alleys of the ward to get to know residents and became known as the "alley alderman." When he resigned in 1994 due to poor health, she was appointed to replace him by Mayor
Richard M. Daley.
Family indictments and convictions in ghost-payrolling A year later, the elder Laurino was indicted by federal investigators on a
ghost-payrolling scheme. He died before the trial was concluded, but several family members were convicted, including his wife, Bonnie Rhein Laurino; another daughter, Marie D'Amico; and D'Amico's husband, John. ==Aldermanic career==