Dupage Policy Journal

Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) says the stench from House Speaker Mike Madigan’s office stemming from his handling of a sexual harassment complaint has become so foul it now bothers all of Springfield.

“Everyone has had enough of Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), no matter what party you’re from,” Ives, who is challenging Gov. Bruce Rauner in the March 20 Republican primary, told the Prairie State Wire. “You see more people calling for his resignation. At the absolute minimum, he should be forced to surrender being chairman of the Democratic Party. He’s simply been in power for too long.”

Former political staffer Alaina Hampton recently came forward to allege harassment by longtime Madigan operative Kevin Quinn, her direct supervisor and the brother of Chicago alderman and fellow Madigan ally Marty Quinn. Hampton further alleged that her complaint was ignored by Madigan and other members of his organization.

“His whole office is now in disarray as he tries to figure out how to save his speakership,” Ives said. “The reality is (the) number of calls demanding his resignation are growing by the day.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, Hampton alleged her issues with Quinn date back to 2016, when he started sending her inappropriate text messages and asking her out on dates. 

She said she filed a complaint with Marty Quinn in February 2017, and by April of that year, she had walked away from her job after coming to believe her complaints were largely being ignored.

She said she feels there was a cover up because she sent a letter to Madigan’s home in late 2017, but again no action was taken against Kevin Quinn until a day after she went public with her story.

Hampton has also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and she and her attorneys plan to file suit against the Illinois Democratic Party and Friends of Mike Madigan.

“The time for change in Springfield is now,” Ives said.

The ruckus in Madigan’s office comes as legislative leaders in Springfield grapple with the fallout of having had the office of the legislative inspector general going unfilled for roughly three years. The inspector general is responsible for investigating ethics complaints, including allegations of sexual harassment.

During the time the position went unfilled, at least 27 complaints alleging harassment were filed, including one against Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), who has since been found to have engaged in behavior “unbecoming a legislator” in his dealings with local activist Denise Rotheimer.