District 61 rivals disagree on blaming Madigan for state's problems

Republican state Rep. Sheri Jesiel of Winthrop Harbor criticized House Speaker Michael Madigan as power-hungry and unconcerned about the people of Illinois.

But her Democratic challenger for the 61st District seat, Joyce Mason of Gurnee, said demonizing Madigan won't solve the state's woes.

Jesiel and Mason will face off in the Nov. 6 election. They discussed Madigan and issues facing Illinois in Daily Herald questionnaires.

Both candidates were asked to evaluate Madigan's job performance.

Jesiel, who is running for her third full term, was highly critical of Madigan, who has served as speaker for all but two years since 1983.

"I have never seen any indication that the speaker is concerned about the residents of Illinois," said Jesiel, who was appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2014 and won election later that year. "He is singularly devoted to obtaining and retaining power in order to make moves in the best interests of preserving power."

Jesiel accused Madigan of mistreating House members who "dare to defy him," of moving legislation for political purposes and of writing House rules so he can keep power.

Mason is a business consultant who serves on the Woodland School District 50 board. She sidestepped the question about Madigan's performance.

"It's very easy for folks to demonize Speaker Madigan to find an easy answer to all of our state's woes," Mason said. "But it's not as simple as that and we need more than partisan rhetoric to fix things."

If elected and able to vote for speaker, Mason said she would evaluate all candidates "with only the best interests of my district in mind."

Both Jesiel and Mason said they support term limits for legislative leadership positions like House speaker.

The Daily Herald asked the candidates about Gov. Bruce Rauner's performance, too.

Jesiel said Rauner's first term "has reflected a collision between ideals and ... the difficulty of accomplishing anything meaningful in Illinois." She did not elaborate.

Mason criticized Rauner for using vetoes to halt legislation and for allowing the state to go more than a year without a budget.

"This overall failure to work together, compromise and do what's best for the people in this district (are) why I'm running," Mason said.

The 61st District includes much of northern Lake County.