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 Mike
Madigan is now at least six votes shy of what he would need for another term as
Illinois House speaker, but the latest Democratic House member to vow her
opposition leads the party’s caucus.
State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, wrote Dec. 1 that she would not vote for
Madigan as speaker when the 102nd Illinois General Assembly convenes in January.
“As the House Democratic Caucus Chair, this decision was not made lightly. I
feel strongly that our caucus has a lot of hard work to accomplish in the
upcoming legislative session and we need to put the distraction that has been
created by Representative Madigan behind us and move forward in mending the
State of Illinois,” Willis wrote.
She said the House needs to focus on ethics reform, COVID-19, health care,
systemic racism and protecting services for the state’s most vulnerable.
Willis makes the 19th House Democrat refusing to back Madigan
as a result of his implication in a $1.3 million bribery scandal involving
Commonwealth Edison. ComEd’s prosecution agreement brought out an initial group
of representatives, but indictments issued Nov. 18 cost him the additional votes
needed to prevent him from reaching the required 60 votes out of 73 House
Democrats. Accounting for every representative who has publicly stated they will
oppose Madigan’s speakership, he is now six votes shy of the minimum for a new
term.
State Reps. Jonathan Carroll, Sam Yingling, Will Guzzardi, Daniel Didech, Eva
Dina-Delgado and representative-elect Margaret Croke added their names to the
list of those wanting Madigan to quit and allow someone else to lead the House
after Madigan’s confidant and three others were recently indicted.
State Reps. Kelly Cassidy, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Terra Costa Howard, Maurice
West, Bob Morgan, Anne Stava-Murray, Stephanie Kifowit and Lindsey LaPointe
previously said they would not re-elect Madigan, with Kifowit announcing she
would challenge him for the speakership. State Reps. Deb Conroy, Robyn Gabel,
Anna Moeller and Ann Williams sent Madigan a letter asking for new blood.
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ComEd admitted to federal prosecutors that it paid
more than $1.3 million to Madigan’s cronies, handing no-work jobs to
some and allowing him to name people to positions from meter reader
on up. The bribes were intended to curry Madigan’s support for
legislation worth $150 million to the electric utility. ComEd agreed
to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate with investigators.
Federal agents are also looking at similar arrangements with AT&T,
Rush University Medical Center and Walgreens.
Madigan has denied wrongdoing, and said he considers helping
constituents find jobs to be part of his public service.
When House members return to Springfield in January for the new
legislative session, they may reject Madigan, but they will still
face the set of rules that have allowed him to maintain power for 35
years. A new face will not mean a new era unless those House rules
are changed.
For true reform, the legislative redistricting
process should be taken out of the hands of lawmakers. Reforms are
also needed to the House Rules, and lawmakers should strengthen
ethics rules to mandate transparency and hold lawmakers accountable
for their conflicts of interest. Representatives should free the
legislative inspector general to investigate and publicize
wrongdoing without hindrance from lawmakers.
A Madigan by any other name will still leave the Illinois House
vulnerable to one-person rule – and the corruption that comes with
it.
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