Speaking Out: It's time for Madigan to go

There is a general consensus that the Fair Tax Amendment failed and the reason that several Democratic legislators lost was a lack of trust in Springfield.

Whether that is true or not, the trust issue seems to rear its head quite often, and there is good reason to discuss what steps can be taken to improve the situation.

First and foremost, the trust is tied to the elephant in the room, probably better in this case referred to as the big donkey in the room. We all know that is synonymous with Democratic Party Chairman and House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Why is that the case?

Mike Madigan is the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and has held that position for all but two years since 1983. That makes him the longest-serving leader in any state or federal legislative body in the history of the United States. Since 1998, he has also been Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Those two positions give him power and control over most things that happen or that don't happen in Springfield. As speaker, he controls who gets leadership positions, who get chairmanships, who gets assigned to what committees, what bills get called, and what bills get killed or buried.

Between his roles as speaker and party chairman, he also controls the doling out of much-needed campaign funds, or campaign support, through in-kind services or mailings.

Madigan's powers are particularly significant since state representatives in the House get elected every two years, meaning another election is always around the corner and the need for campaign funds never ceases.

Madigan's power also gives him control over how legislative districts are drawn after each census. That explains the gerrymandering done in backrooms that moves the boundary line one block or the other to ensure that the legislators he supports get relatively safe districts with others pitted against each other to try and get rid of those who are not favored.

All else aside, having one man have so much power for so long builds up undue influence over the legislators. That alone is problematic, and good reason to have term limits on legislative leadership positions.

It is also significant that the speaker has often stood in the way of reforms. The Senate a few years ago imposed such limits, but under Madigan the House has no such limits.

It is time for the House to impose such limits when they adopt rules for the next session that starts in January. We should all be speaking up, urging legislators to do so.

In addition to the basic need for leadership term limits, a cloud now hangs over Speaker Madigan with the ComEd bribery scandal. Though the speaker has not been charged with any crime to date, and may not have technically broken any laws, there may be a perception of wrongdoing. That perception is a clear albatross and has an impact on how the public views Mr. Madigan and Springfield. If a leader is perceived by some to somehow be involved with people involved in the scheme, it affects the trust and confidence people have on those around him.

Mr. Madigan has denied any wrongdoing, and he, of course, is entitled to due process, and may be innocent of any wrongdoing, but he should not be entitled to cling to his leadership roles. If a leader is tainted by allegations of those he may be associated with, it is a disservice to the Democratic Party and to the legislators in the House that he presides over. People in leadership should be held up to the highest standards and not be associated - not even indirectly - with possible wrongdoing. In the best interest of the Democratic Party and the House, I urge Mr. Madigan to step aside from both of his leadership positions.

In recent days, both Sen. Durbin and Gov. Pritzker have urged Madigan to give up the party Chairmanship, and Sen. Duckworth did as well and also urged him to give up his position as Speaker. If he does not reconsider and do so on his own accord, I would urge action by those with the power to effectuate this change.

That would require the members of the House to not vote for him as Speaker, and the Democratic Committeemen and Committeewomen to replace him as Democratic Chairman.

This will require political courage to see this happen. I strongly urge citizens throughout the state to encourage these actions. I applaud legislators who have already stepped up to the plate to urge the Speaker to step down and urge others to join them with your support and encouragement.

Another action that could and should be taken to instill trust would include passage of stronger Ethics legislation that prevents legislators from voting on any legislation that could potentially be a financial benefit to them or their family members, and preventing retired legislators from lobbying the legislature, with independent administration and enforcement.

With redistricting being imminent, I would urge the legislators support a transparent, objective process that has contiguous, compact boundaries that do not split communities.

Though not as good as a new Constitutional amendment for Independent Fair Maps, which did not get on the ballot for this cycle, a legislative commitment to such a transparent objective process would be another good step to build up trust in Springfield.

A stronger, visible demonstration of bipartisan cooperation also could go a long way in restoring trust in Springfield.

I would urge all legislators to do their utmost to find common ground when possible to tackle issues that affect us all.

I know that does happen, but we rarely hear about it. Institution of a problem solvers caucus, like the one congressman Schneider participates in Washington, might not be a bad idea for Springfield.

As president-elect Biden noted in his remarks the other night, those on the other side of the aisle, or those with a different point of view, should not be thought of as enemies.

Let us hope we can see some positive changes to allow us to have some more trust in Springfield. We should, however, speak up and urge actions that can make a difference.

• Elliott Hartstein of Northbrook is a former village president of Buffalo Grove.