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 Nine Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly have asked for
the immediate resignation of Michael Madigan as House speaker and as leader of
the Democratic Party of Illinois.
After nearly four decades leading Illinois’ largest legislative body, Madigan
faces more doubt than ever about his abilities to serve as speaker and party
chairman. A federal prosecution agreement against electric utility Commonwealth
Edison implicated Madigan in a $1.3 million bribery scheme. Further subpoenas
showed federal investigators are interested in his relationships with other
prominent politicians and corporations in Illinois.
Madigan has denied wrongdoing and refused to resign.
While Republican state lawmakers also called for Madigan’s resignation, the nine
Democrats calling for it face retaliation through the party and the five
Democratic House members face limits to their effectiveness thanks to Madigan’s
tight grip on power. The Democrats wanting him out are:
Sen. Melinda Bush
The state senator from Grayslake was the first Democrat to call for Madigan’s
resignation as speaker just hours after he was implicated in the charges filed
against ComEd. Bush said Madigan’s involvement with ComEd’s bribery scheme is
enough for him to resign from office.
“I would encourage the Speaker to take his own advice and resign not only his
Speakership and his legislative seat, but step down as chairman of the
Democratic Party of Illinois, effective immediately,” Bush said in a statement.
Bush cited Madigan’s own words from last fall when former state Rep. Luis Arroyo
was charged with bribery. At that time, Madigan “urged” Arroyo to resign
immediately.
Sen. Iris Martinez
Martinez, of Chicago, serves as Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate
and serves nationally as the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee’s
Hispanic Caucus.
“It’s very clear in what you’re reading in the ComEd document,” Martinez said.
“You know nothing happens in Springfield without the speaker signing off. You
don’t have to read between the lines to see what is going on.”
This is not the first time Martinez has called for Madigan’s resignation. After
it was revealed Madigan’s friend and close ally, Michael McClain, sought
leniency for a state worker who kept quiet about a rape in Champaign, Martinez
called on the speaker to resign for his involvement with McClain.
Sen. Heather Steans
The Chicago state senator called for Madigan to resign immediately, regardless
of the outcome of the federal investigation.
“Some will argue that the Speaker is innocent until charges are filed and he’s
proven guilty,” Steans said. “But those are not the standards that should apply
to his leadership role. Serving as Speaker is not a right; it’s a privilege. A
leader’s actions must avoid even the perception of wrongdoing. Speaker Madigan
repeatedly has violated that trust.”
Steans noted the ComEd scandal “undermines public trust in government” and will
be very costly for taxpayers. Because of this, she believes Madigan must resign
as speaker for betraying the public’s trust.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy
Like Martinez, Cassidy has sparred with Madigan over his handling of sexual
assault allegations in the Statehouse. Unlike Martinez, Cassidy is in Madigan’s
chamber and directly faces repercussions from Madigan, who punishes dissent by
taking away power in the House and campaign cash through the party. The ComEd
scandal has further harmed the Chicago representative’s relationship with the
speaker. Cassidy called for Madigan’s resignation after the ComEd case was made
public on July 17.
“I cannot pretend that we have another minute to wait and see, or look the other
way and hope for the best. The stakes are too high. Speaker Madigan must step
down from his leadership roles, both in the House and in our party,” Cassidy
said.
Rep. Terra Costa Howard
The first term House member from Lombard said Madigan’s implication in the ComEd
scandal shows how he has failed to lead Illinois as speaker.
“The corruption and unethical behavior that have been revealed by this
investigation make it impossible for Rep. Madigan to continue in his leadership
roles,” Costa Howard said. “He must take action now to avoid inflicting further
damage on the members of the House and the Democratic Party.”
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Rep. Stephanie Kifowit
The representative from Oswego said she lost sleep wrestling in her
mind with Madigan’s ability to lead following his implication in the
ComEd scandal. She wrote a letter directly to Madigan explaining how
she lost trust in him.
“The actions described in the U.S. Attorney’s Deferred Prosecution
Agreement by ComEd show that you have compromised the integrity of
the office of Speaker of the House and undermined the public trust,”
wrote Kifowit. “In addition, your involvement as ‘Public Official A’
exposes a conflict of interest as we deliberate and evaluate how the
legislative process has been manipulated.”
Rep. Lindsey LaPointe
The Chicago representative said now is the time for Madigan to
resign as speaker, regardless of how the ComEd implications play
out.
“I’m not really interested in issuing a press release or making a
big announcement, but yes, I think he should resign,” LaPointe told
the Chicago Tribune.
Rep. Jonathon “Yoni” Pizer
Pizer is the first male Democrat in the General Assembly to call for
Madigan’s resignation. Pizer was struck by Madigan’s inability to
meet ethical standards in both this situation and previous instances
of sexual harassment. He also hit back at some lawmakers who have
called for Madigan’s resignation “only if” the allegations against
him were proven true, which is the stance Gov. J.B. Pritzker took.
“Although I deeply believe in the bedrock Constitutional presumption
of innocence, this is not a court of law, and we cannot wait for the
courts to adjudicate and administer their verdict,” Pizer said. “As
legislators, we don’t have to hold the Speaker to a criminal
standard of proof or observe rules of evidence in order to demand a
change in leadership.”
Pizer encouraged his colleagues to strengthen their calls for
Madigan’s resignation and not be cowed by the political fallout they
would face from Madigan and his staff.
Rep. Anna Stava-Murray
When the Naperville representative was sworn in, her relationship
with her party’s boss was immediately off to a rocky start. Stava-Murray
is proud she was the only Democrat in the House to vote against
Madigan for speaker.
“While the Speaker seems to have perhaps limited days left in
office, which I believe he should make more limited by resigning
from both of his leadership positions, I would also like to take
this moment to highlight that ethics should be prioritized by both
sides of the aisle not just in word but also in deed,” she wrote in
a Facebook post.
Reforms needed
Madigan’s reign has highlighted the desperate need for ethics
reform. Madigan himself has changed the rules to make the General
Assembly run at his will. To step out from his shadow, the House
needs to reform those rules by:
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Not killing bills in the Rules Committee
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Not allowing one person to appoint committee
chairs
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Not allowing one man to choose who votes in
committee
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Stopping the use of shell bills to pass unread
legislation
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Giving lawmakers a reliable schedule for voting
on bills
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Placing term limits on House leadership
With these reforms, Illinois can rid itself of a
speaker-dominated chamber and enjoy a better-functioning, more
democratic legislative process. These reforms should happen even
without Madigan’s resignation.
Additionally, Illinoisans on Nov. 3 have an opportunity to deny
Madigan additional taxing power. The “fair tax” question on the Nov.
3 ballot would amend the Illinois Constitution and give state
lawmakers greater power to decide who should pay state income taxes,
such as retirees and the small businesses that fuel Illinois’ jobs
growth.
Madigan’s abuse of patronage and cronyism shows why state lawmakers
should not be entrusted with greater powers to say who should be
taxed by how much. If the system is ruled through corruption, can it
be trusted to honestly say it needs more taxes?
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