Several local state legislators representing Madison and St. Clair County residents have responded to guilty verdicts for the former CEO of ComEd and three associates of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
A federal jury convicted former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, Madigan associate Michael McClain, ComEd lobbyist and Madigan loyalist John Hooker, and Madigan associate Jay Doherty on May 2.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenwebber presided over the weeks-long trial.
Rep. David Friess (R-Red Bud) stated in a Facebook post that the charges the defendants were convicted on are typical of “mob bosses and gangsters.”
“The man who used to lead the House of Representatives, Mike Madigan, as well as those in his inner circles, were charged with crimes usually reserved for mob bosses and gangsters,” he wrote. “Despite this, Democrats have shown no willingness to tackle ethics reform in a meaningful way. For the future health and prosperity of Illinois, this cannot be allowed to continue. To stop corruption in Illinois, we need to pass strong ethics reform. Without immediate action by the General Assembly, corruption will continue to thrive in state government.”
Rep. Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) stated in a Facebook post that Illinoisans should unite to demand an end to the “culture of corruption.”
“Today’s actions in court are an indictment of the culture of corruption which was allowed to thrive under Speaker Madigan’s inner circle,” he wrote. “We must take stronger action to restore ethical behavior in Springfield. If we don’t, the problems will only continue to worsen. Illinoisans should be furious, and we must gather in one voice to demand that this kind of behavior is stopped and prevented in the future.”
Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) said the jury’s verdict proves that corruption plagues the Illinois legislature.
“I have been saying this for a long time, corruption has been a job creator for many politically connected people associated with Democrat lawmakers in Illinois for decades,” he said. “This verdict proves just that. ComEd received a bailout worth nearly $700 million and yes they paid a hefty fine for their actions, but this kind of corruption is still affecting our state.”
“In southern Illinois, we are still paying higher electricity rates because of the corruption associated with the individuals found guilty in a court of law,” Meier added. “The deals they cut benefited themselves while southern Illinois is still paying for this form of corruption tax. The legislature needs to pass true anti-corruption laws and increase penalties instead of passing watered-down laws they call reform. I hope their sentences will be stiff and we can learn to work together in Springfield to represent all Illinois residents legally and fairly.”
Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) said it is time to pass “meaningful anti-corruption reforms.”
“Today’s verdict reaffirms what has been wrong with our state government for decades and further proves why we need stronger anti-corruption reforms signed into law,” she said. “The corrupt acts by these lobbyists connected to former Illinois House Speaker have been decades in the making. I hope this guilty verdict sends a message to the Democrat leadership that the old way of conducting business in the legislature should be over and it’s time to pass meaningful anti-corruption reforms in the legislature.”
Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Edwardsville) said she hopes the General Assembly responds by reforming a corrupt system.
“While it’s already widely known, this case demonstrates just how corrupt the system is here in Illinois,” Harriss said. “While I’m encouraged by the guilty verdicts, there is still a long way to go to reform the system that has plagued our state for far too long. If anything, I hope this case finally puts pressure on the General Assembly to enact reforms to fix a system where politicians too often serve their interests ahead of those they are supposed to represent.”