Metro East Sun

State Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) is criticizing the lack of partisanship in the appointment of a new Legislative Inspector General.

“In an era where multiple Illinois legislators have recently been indicted for lapses in ethics and illegal activities, and where trust in government is so low, you would think Democrats would take this subject seriously. Instead of doing the right thing, as is all too common in Illinois, Democrats have chosen what is simply convenient for their own purposes,” he said in a statement.

Plummer’s comments come after Democrats voted to seat Michael P. McCuskey as the new LIG whose appointment Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) said skirted existing law. 

“I would like to be able to tell people that the legislature is finally taking ethics seriously, appointing a new watchdog after a thorough and rigorous process of vetting with public input. Unfortunately, that isn’t true. The super majority Democrats ignored the findings of a public search committee and the established process. Instead, they rammed through their pick for the office on a party-line vote with little to no notice and zero public input. The candidate may be a great fit, but we have no way of knowing because the proper vetting process was ignored. The people deserve better, as does the institution of the legislature and the candidate himself.”

McCuskey, 73, is a retired judge who has previously served as a state circuit and appellate judge, as well as a United States District Judge for the Central District of Illinois.

The Peoria native retired as a federal judge in 2014 after having first been appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1998.

The LIG position was created in 2003 to give “broad authority to investigate alleged wrongdoing.”

Former LIG Carol Pope resigned the post last year, noting it is effectively powerless.

“This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority,” Pope noted in her resignation letter. “The LIG has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations; the position is essentially a paper tiger.”

Pope’s resignation came as the General Assembly passed a bill further limiting the LIG’s powers.  

Public Act 102-0664 disallows the LIG from bringing an investigation without a formal complaint.