Kane County Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) is demanding answers about the whereabouts of Democratic state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt.

Van Pelt no longer takes part in the legislative process, but she has refused to step down from office, a recent Chicago City Wire report said. Stepping down would allow Senate Majority Leader Don Harmon to appoint a replacement for her in District 5 and its more than 218,000 residents.

"Not sure what rules say in terms of abandonment of office, but it should always be incumbent upon the leader to make that determination and if it’s determined she has abandoned office she should be replaced," McLaughlin told the Kane County Reporter recently. "The people that are paying for her to serve them deserve that much."

Sources stated that they did not see Van Pelt cast a single floor vote during the past legislative session or take part in any committee hearings or other activities, the City Wire report said. They added that Democrats have remained silent about the issue because with their 40-19 supermajority they do not need her vote in order to be able to move any of their preferred legislation.

In recent months rumors have percolated that the 65-year-old Van Pelt, who first assumed office more than a decade ago in 2013, was unable to join her Senate colleagues in Springfield due to medical issues. But the City Wire reported that she has continued to give speeches as a life coach under the name Dr. Pat, and her themes center on "soulmate attraction" and "regaining mastery over life and love."

"The rules for something like this should be clear," McLaughlin said. "If you’re not doing the job, the people have a right to have representation. We need to know what’s going on and why she hasn’t been around to serve the people she was elected to serve."

Van Pelt's 5th District includes many of the highest-income neighborhoods in the city of Chicago, including parts of the West Loop and Fulton Market District, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, River West, Bucktown, Little Italy, Tri-Taylor, University Village and the Illinois Medical District. Her current term extends through 2027.