South Central Reporter

Sawyerville community activist Christopher Hicks is calling on longtime Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to step down immediately in the wake of the growing number of criminal probes involving one-time members of his inner circle.

“Michael Madigan needs to do the right thing for Illinois taxpayers and resign, effective immediately,” Hicks told the South Central Reporter. “Madigan has clearly been covering allegations of repeated and reported incidents of harassment and abuse for his associates like political 'capo' Kevin Quinn.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, FBI agents raided Quinn’s far South Side home in June as part of an ongoing corruption probe. While investigators have been tight-lipped about what, if anything, they uncovered in the search, reports are that agents zeroed in on computers and electronic equipment in the home.

Conservative activist Christopher Hicks

The brother of Chicago Ald. Marty Quinn, Kevin Quinn has a history of domestic violence and was ultimately fired by Madigan in connection with a sexual harassment allegation involving a former co-worker.

 “The most recent raid on Quinn, the investigation of Ed Burke, the investigation into the signatures in the 13th Ward, all spell trouble for the Illinois Democratic Party,” Hicks said. “All signs and investigations are pointing straight to the top. Illinois has long been known for its political corruption. It is refreshing the FBI is investigating and hopefully will bring people to justice, regardless of the political party.”

The longest-serving member in Chicago city government, Burke, a city alderman, was recently indicted on federal racketeering charges that include allegations of steering government business to his private law firm. The 13th Ward signature controversy centers on allegations that Marty Quinn’s political team tried to knock 13th Ward challenger David Krupa off the ballot in 2018 by wrongfully challenging the signatures of his supporters.

“Madigan has been a key player in the Democratic Party for decades now and he’s been good at covering his tracks,” Hicks said. “Hopefully, once the investigations are through, the key players are prosecuted and justice is served.”

However, Hicks predicts it will take years to undo the damage the Madigan era has caused the state.

“An example of this corruption costing taxpayers is Kevin Quinn in line to receive a $750,000 pension while only contributing a total of roughly $26,000 over nearly 17 years,” Hicks said. “That is nearly a 30-time return on his pension contributions.”

But Hicks hopes and senses a change could be on the horizon.

“The repeat investigations into the leaders of the Illinois Democratic party are going to start costing the Democrats support in Illinois, and it’s ultimately going to cause them to lose power,” he said. “In the long run, it will encourage voters to make wiser decisions on who they are voting for, and in 2020, if the investigations become more mainstream, we’ll start to see seats flip. It is going to lead to more clashes in Springfield as the Democrats lose power.”