South Central Reporter

As much as he thinks House Speaker Mike Madigan has outlasted his usefulness in Springfield, state Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) admits he’d never count him out.

“It seems like this could be the end, but he says he’s still in the game,” Wilhour told the South Central Reporter. “He’s still got a lot of power and controls all the money so it’s really hard to know. It’s a perfect example of why we need transparent, anti-corruption laws in place so no one can ever get this kind of power over everything again.”

At the same time that the longtime House speaker is vowing to seek another term, more and more Democrat lawmakers are anxiously distancing themselves from him as fallout from the ongoing ComEd scandal and federal corruption probe it has sparked continues to play out. The latest shoe to drop includes the indictment of four individuals with ties to Madigan, including longtime associate and lobbyist Michael McClain, who now faces bribery charges stemming from a years-long, pay-to-play scheme in which perks were allegedly steered to Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation.

As more of the findings from the probe have become public, well over a dozen House Democrats have now emerged to insist they have no intentions of supporting Madigan for another term when the legislature reconvenes for the new General Assembly on Jan. 13.

“There’s never been a time in history where doing the right thing has been more important or more urgent and in Illinois that’s saying something," Wilhour added. “All the influence peddling and pay-to-play schemes have taken a toll.”

Wilhour argues showing Madigan the door will not be enough on its own to bring about the kind of change in Springfield many think is needed.

“In addition to pushing reform, I think we need to make sure no one can hold this kind of influence over citizens again,” he said. “You’ve got to have a system where we empower the legislative inspector general. Right now, it’s a joke that person has to ask for authority to start an investigation of a lawmaker and has no subpoena power. It’s a complete sham and we need to put safeguards in place so there is accountability no matter who is in power.”