Kane County Reporter

As relieved as he is to know Mike Madigan’s days in Springfield are over, Ben Bierly worries about what message the former Chicago lawmaker walking away sends to the public.

“While overall this is a small step in the right direction, it concerns me that he’s walking away a free man given all he’s being involved in,” Bierly told the Kane County Reporter.

A month after being replaced as House speaker after serving nearly four decades in the role, Madigan resigned in February from his District 22 House seat and as the chair of the Illinois Democratic Party.

His departure comes amid a federal investigation that linked him to an alleged pay-to-play scheme that also named ComEd. The utility company was fined $200 million y federal authorities but did not admit any wrongdoing.

“The scrutiny he’s getting is well-earned,” Bierly said, who lost his District 43 bid as a Republican for the state Senate. “He was even losing support among his own party as I think everyone started to see the handwriting on the wall in terms of him now me a liability.”

Still, Bierly said he’s not sure what overall impact Madigan’s departure will come to have across Springfield.

“It remains to be seen if Democrats in the General Assembly will be any different with him out,” he said. “For me personally, I need to see proof that they really want something different legislatively. Are we going to see term limits or more accountability in the system? Until that happens, no one can talk about anything really changing.”

Madigan’s reign as Speaker came to an end in January with Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch installed as his replacement.