Dupage Policy Journal

As the ComEd scandal that’s landed Speaker Mike Madigan at the center continues to play out in Springfield, Republican state House candidate Laura Hois argues the verdict is already clear at least on one front.

“Everyone who pays attention to Illinois politics knows Madigan has garnered too much power,” Hois told the DuPage Policy Journal. “He brought us the second-highest property taxes and one of the worst-funded pension systems in the nation. Our families deserve a fair and transparent government. That will not happen until Madigan leaves office.”

In a year in which four Springfield Democrats have been indicted on corruption related charges, the committee was formed at the insistence of House Minority Leader Jim Durkin after Madigan was implicated in an ongoing federal probe involving utility giant ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme.

The six-member bipartisan committee is made up of three GOP lawmakers (state Reps. Tom Demmer of Dixon, Deanne Mazzochi of Elmhurst and Grant Wehrli of Naperville) and three Democrats (state Reps. Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside, Elizabeth Hernandez of Cicero and Natalie Manley of Joliet). A majority vote is needed for the probe to proceed to the next stage – a new committee empowered to determine potential sanctions that would then be voted on by the entire House. A two-thirds majority would be required for any discipline to be taken against Madigan, which could include expulsion.

Running against incumbent state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) in the 81st District, Hois laments all the chaos and confusion has become all too common in terms of what you can expect from Springfield.

“Corruption has flourished under Madigan’s 38-year reign,” she added. “It’s hard to keep up with all the corruption going on in Illinois.”