Metro East Sun

Doug Jameson thinks Mike Madigan’s plan for dealing with the sexual harassment scandal in Springfield in the last year has gone just the way the House speaker hoped it would.

“The truth is there has been no progress on the issue in all that time and that’s just the way he wanted it,” Jameson told the Metro East Sun. “It was never a priority for him and only became a concern when the issue posed a threat to him. Everything he’s done on the issue has been no more than to put a Band-Aid on things.”

Jameson points to Madigan never moving to fill the inspector general position in Springfield on a permanent basis despite more than 300 women signing a #MeToo letter detailing the culture of sexual harassment in the state Capitol in 2017 as Exhibit A for his position.

Springfield, Illinois | By Éovart Caçeir at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10535377

Julie Porter was installed in the position back then, but only on an interim basis – with her contract slated to expire at the end of June. During the more than two years the position went vacant before Porter’s arrival, at least 27 complaints of sexual harassment went unscrutinized in Springfield.

“We won't be seeing the kind of change this state needs before the November election and from the body of lawmakers now in Springfield,” Jameson, a Belleville Republican challenging Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) in the 113th District, said. “The good thing is we’ve got a slew of candidates on the ballot in November that don’t seem to be driven by a party, but rather doing what’s right and best for the state. I’m one of them.”

Still, Jameson said nothing good can happen without the aid and work of voters.

“Voters have to get out and demand solutions from their leaders and representatives,” he said. “We don’t need more partisan leaders; we need representatives that are simply committed to coming up with solutions.”

The 113th House District includes all or parts of Belleville, Swansea, Fairview Heights, Washington Park, Fairmont City, Caseyville, Madison and Granite City.