There are so many problems facing the State of Illinois. They're well documented in news outlets, in social media feeds and in the real lives of everyday Illinoisans. What if I told you that a great majority of these issues were symptoms of a greater issue? That greater issue is corruption!
I mentioned the media above and if you've been paying attention, you've read numerous recent news stories about wiretaps, indictments and resignations of top Illinois Democratic politicians. You've read about their dubious dealings with ComEd and how those dealings have had a negative impact on Illinois ratepayers. You've read about how Mike Madigan stands as the connecting point between so many of these disgraced politicians.
The ComEd issue is a perfect example of how the backroom dealings of the man who holds so much power in Illinois can negatively impact the lives of citizens of Illinois. For this reason, I organized the small group of reform-minded representatives and was the first to officially call for the resignation of Mike Madigan. This is the first step in reforming Springfield. In a nutshell, leadership sets the culture in any organization. Illinois has a culture of corruption.
For this reason, I have taken several actions to flush out this corruption.
• I worked with colleagues to introduce meaningful ethics reform legislation during the recent fall legislative session. Unfortunately, Madigan wielded almost unchecked power to pass flimsy, ineffective "reform" in an effort to save face.
• In order to ensure a better future for the 97th District and the State, I simply asked if my opponent wants Madigan to continue as Speaker of the House. He declined to comment on that clear and important question.
• As mentioned above, I organized the group of reform-minded representatives and was the first to officially call for the resignation of Mike Madigan. To my knowledge, I was the first legislators to do so.
Why have I done this? Because before we begin the difficult and essential work of putting Illinois back on the right track, we must root out the underlying condition that has hampered progress for decades. That underlying condition is corruption and the leader who fosters a corrupt culture.