‘Sad But Not Surprising’ Tracy Weighs in on Madigan Indictment

Sad, but not surprising.

That's the take of a current member of the Illinois Senate, reacting to the news Wednesday of federal indictments handed down against a long-time former Illinois House Speaker and a Quincy native and former state representative.

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In a press release Wednesday, State Senator Jil Tracy of Quincy reacted to the 22-count indictment of former House Speaker Michael Madigan on public corruption charges.

“It’s a sad day for Illinoisans, but not really all that surprising. The stark reality is that Illinois’ political misdeeds span decades,” said Sen. Tracy, who serves as the Chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee. “For too many years, the corruption of a few elected officials has cast a shadow over the good work being done by so many other lawmakers in our Capitol. Cases such as this federal indictment are why many other lawmakers are pushing so hard for change. We seek to restore the public’s trust in its state government. Laws are in place, and they must be followed.”

Among those indicted with Madigan was Mike McClain, a Quincy native and former state representative who went on to be a lobbyist and Madigan confidant.

Tracy says Illinois Senate Republicans have introduced tougher ethics reforms that will hold politicians more accountable an better equip officials to investigate public corruption.