McHenry Times

State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is one of a growing number of Republican lawmakers calling for a complete overhaul of Springfield, starting with the ouster of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“We, as Republicans, have been saying for awhile now the time has come for Speaker Madigan to go,” Ugaste told the Kane County Reporter. “It’s time for new leadership; there’s a clear problem with the way things are going and this latest mess the speaker finds himself at the center of is the latest example. If this were any other House member, I think every other member would be calling for him to go.”

Madigan, who easily reigns as the longest-tenured lawmaker in the state, now finds himself at the center of a still-evolving probe into ComEd, in which prosecutors are on record in asserting that the company engaged in a “years-long bribery scheme” involving jobs, contracts and payments that were steered to him in his role as house speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.

While stopping short of formally hitting him with any charges, prosecutors contend Commonwealth Edison attempted to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to those directly tied to him.

“That we haven’t dealt with the issue of corruption in Springfield is a disservice to the voters,” Ugaste added. “As part of his State of the State address, Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker called for ethics reform and a committee was formed to come up with ideas. Since the pandemic came about, we haven’t heard anything about that. Leaders have had a chance to call a special session to deal with this, but it’s been nothing.”

In publicly announcing the case against ComEd public, U.S. Attorney John Lausch noted the investigation is ongoing. The Chicago Tribune reports federal investigators have moved to subpoena Madigan for information, including “possible job recommendations.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Madigan said he plans to cooperate with the probe, adding “The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended.”

Ugaste said he’d be surprised to see Madigan go quietly.

“He’s never heeded calls for his resignation in the past and many of them have also been justified,” he said, adding that voters also have a role to play when it comes to cleaning up Springfield. “Stop electing the same party that’s controlled the state for last 40 years and elect more Republicans. We’ll get real reform done. Right now, every time you elect a Democrat as your representative you’re voting for Mike Madigan to continue as speaker of the house because that’s what he demands.”