Wood River Township Supervisor Mike Babcock fails to see the logic behind two former Illinois lawmakers suing the state for back pay to which, in a way, they were never officially entitled.
“I think they’re wanting back pay for a time that doesn’t fit,” Babcock told the Metro East Sun. “The idea that they would ask for back pay on a raise that didn’t even exist during the time they were in office makes no sense. But of course, it’s par for the course in the state of Illinois in how they handle situations in our legislature.”
Former Illinois state Sens. Mike Noland (D-Elgin) and James Clayborne (D-Belleville) have now filed suit seeking seven-figure sums for themselves and “all others impacted” based on the wage-freeze the General Assembly imposed on itself during their time in Springfield. Back then, Clayborne, whose 57th District was part of the Metro East region, sought to connect with voters by insisting that “rejecting this pay raise is the right thing to do at a time when so many people are struggling to make ends meet. As legislators, it’s wrong to ask our fellow Illinoisans to make responsible decisions if we are unwilling to do the same.”
Wood River Township Supervisor Mike Babcock
The former Majority Leader’s current change of heart has put both men back in the spotlight. Interest began to boil over when a Cook County Judge ruled this summer that the wage-freeze legislation approved during their time in Springfield violates the state constitution’s ban on lawmakers changing their pay scale in their current public term.
“It shouldn’t be held up in a court of the law,” said Babcock, who narrowly lost out in the general election in his run against Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) in the 111th District in 2018. “The mentality in the state of Illinois is, 'You owe us for being there representing you.' They shouldn’t get back pay for raises that never happened.”
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