Metro East Sun

Mike Babcock struggles to recall any time the best interest of the people were put first during the nearly four decades House Speaker Mike Madigan has served as one of its most powerful voices.

“In the era of Madigan, everyone knows this has been a pay to play state,” the Republican and former state House candidate told the Metro East Sun. “It’s been all about Mike Madigan and his cronies; everyone has had to struggle through the best way they can.”

In the midst of a still developing federal corruption probe into ComEd, federal investigators recently placed Madigan, the state’s longest-serving lawmaker, at the center of the investigation, intimating that the company engaged in a “years-long bribery scheme” centered on jobs, contracts and payments that were steered to him in his role as house speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party. 

While stopping short of formally levying any charges, prosecutors contend Commonwealth Edison attempted to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to those directly tied to him.

“The sad part is everyone’s a loser in this,” Babcock added. “The state of Illinois should have had better leadership from the beginning. He could have done so many good things for the people of this state, but here we are.”

In publicly announcing the case against ComEd public, U.S. Attorney John Lausch noted the investigation is ongoing. The Chicago Tribune reports federal investigators have moved to subpoena Madigan for information, including “possible job recommendations.”

Meanwhile, Babcock thinks of what could have been.

“The state use to flourish with good jobs, now we’re just devastated by corruption, decimated by bad leadership and now COVID-19,” he said. “All of it points to how we’ve had the wrong leadership and are desperate for real change.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Madigan said he plans to cooperate with the probe, adding “The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended.”