Darren Bailey sees the ongoing sexual harassment scandal in Springfield as proof of the need for a cultural change in the General Assembly.
“Really, what it comes down to is the character of the people who control government,” Bailey told the East Central Reporter after learning that the inspector general post responsible for probing reports of ethics violations had gone unfilled for almost three years.
During the vacancy, more than two dozen complaints of sexual harassment went unchecked. Attorney Julie Porter was appointed legislative inspector general on Nov. 4.
Darren Bailey
“All of the training and hotlines and other resources are only going to go so far in changing the culture in Springfield,” Bailey said. “The reality is many people in our society have worked hard to make our culture more and more secular, and we are seeing the impact of what the secularization of our society is doing. We need to elevate family values and virtue and bring God and faith back to the public sector.”
Bailey, who is running against Rep. Dave Reis (R-Willow Hill) in the 109th District primary, said he fears the Springfield scandal will run even deeper before all is said and done.
“I think we are just beginning to find out how extensive the problem of sexual harassment is in Springfield,” he said. “I believe there is much more to come and as victims feel more comfortable telling their stories, we will likely see more people caught up in this scandal.”
Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Spring) also recently introduced legislation to install a hotline as an added channel for handling complaints of sexual harassment. The House Republican leader has touted his proposal as creating a “safe outlet” for victims in need of counseling, protective services or assistance at any point in the process of filing a complaint.
After House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) called for mandating sensitivity training for all lawmakers, political activist Denise Rotheimer went before Congress to tell her story of alleged harassment by Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), who has since resigned from the Democratic Leadership Committee.
“A hotline is a good idea because it allows individuals to discreetly make reports, and a hotline may encourage more people to come forward and report incidents of abuse,” Bailey said. “Without a process in place to handle situations like this, it appears most people have been fearful about coming forward and reporting incidents of abuse.”
But Bailey argues that the changes can’t end there.
“In my campaign, our slogan is 'faith, family, farm,'” he said. “If we had more faith and more family values, I think we would see a lot fewer instances of sexual harassment and abuse in our society.”
The 109th District includes Wayne, Edwards and Wabash counties.
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