Ben Bierly, a 2020 state Senate candidate, said having a new person as House speaker is needed for the reform process. | Courtesy Photo
Ben Bierly, a 2020 state Senate candidate, said having a new person as House speaker is needed for the reform process. | Courtesy Photo
A 2020 Republican state Senate candidate said that Rep. Mike Madigan’s (D-Chicago) ouster as House speaker is the change that needs to happen to start cleaning “up the mess.”
“We need to recognize this as just a step in the reform process,” Ben Bierly told the Kane County Reporter. “Granted it’s [a] big step, but there’s still so much work to do to clean up the mess in Springfield.”
Madigan’s ouster from the speaker role is potentially related to a Justice Department investigation.
Federal authorities implicated Madigan as the alleged recipient of a years-long bribery scheme that included ComEd. The state’s largest utility conceded to authorities of its involvement and was fined $200 million but did not admit wrongdoing. Madigan has not been charged and denied any wrongdoing.
“Even Democrats couldn’t continue to ignore all the mounting evidence,” Bierly said about the longest-serving legislative leader in modern U.S history.
Lawmakers replaced Madigan on Jan. 13 with Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside), making him the first Black House speaker.
“I honestly don’t know Welch or much about his relationship with Madigan, but it will determine a lot about where we go from here,” Bierly said. “For me, it’s not so much about if Madigan still holds power. We’ve got to look at why he was able to hold it for so long, which has to do with the people we keep sending there.”
Bierly may not know much about Madigan, but many Republicans in Illinois have criticized Welch’s selections as House speaker.
Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider questioned Welch’s credentials saying that the Hillside Democrat is a long-time Madigan ally and has been accused of harassing women.
“House Democrats have chosen to go from Mike Madigan, the most corrupt politician in America, to Rep. Chris Welch, a top Madigan lieutenant who has been credibly accused by multiple women in court documents of harassment, assault, and retaliation,” he said in a statement. “It’s now clear that House Democrats are doubling down on allowing Madigan’s corrupt machine to continue running state government.”
The legal claims against Welch have not advanced. In one case the female nor the police pressed forward with charges. In the court filings, the case was dismissed.
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