Kane County Reporter

Republican candidate for the 66^th Illinois House District (Algonquin, Crystal Lake, East and West Dundee) Connie Cain said the removal of indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s wife from the Illinois Arts Council was overdue. 

“Shirley Madigan should have been removed from the Arts Council last year, right after Madigan left as House Speaker,” Cain said on Facebook. 

Shirley Madigan sent a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker noting her resignation in the wake of his husband's indictment.

“I write to you today with my resignation as Board Chair of the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) due to personal reasons,” Shirley Madigan wrote in her letter of resignation. “In my 37 wonderful years as Board Chair of the IACA, I have had the privilege of working with you and 6 other Illinois Governors, numerous legislators and thousands of artists and arts organizations throughout Illinois. I’ve helped to shepherd an incredible number of the best and most qualified Board members from all over the state and insure the work of the IACA was done with excellence. It has been my greatest honor to serve the state of Illinois and its people throughout the years. I have given a lifetime of commitment and service to making the arts accessible to all the citizens of Illinois. Appointed to the IACA in 1976, I have served with passion and pride during my tenure.”

A Forbes article detailed accusations of her using her spot at IACA to fund politically connected artists. 

“The Illinois Arts Council’s grants are not only made in the dark and riddled with conflicts, but they’re funding some of the richest arts organizations. Largely, taxpayer funding wasn’t awarded to ‘starving artists,’ but to well-connected entities with political clout,” Adam Andrzejewski wrote in Forbes in 2017.

Cain is a lifelong Illinois resident and has lived in Gilberts Village for the past 30 years. She graduated from North Central College in Naperville with a bachelor's degree in business administration and is a licensed certified public accountant in the state of Illinois. Cain has over 20 years of experience in the financial business, with a focus on fraud Investigations and dispute resolution. She served in the United States Army Reserves and was honorably discharged after eight years of service.

“I am passionate about restoring Illinois as a beacon of prosperity while protecting benefits for the most vulnerable Illinoisans,” Cain told Ballotpedia in a candidate survey.