Darren Bailey sees the harassment scandal rocking House Speaker Mike Madigan’s office as being representative of all the dysfunction now gripping Springfield.
“It’s time to put the people over politics,” Bailey, the Xenia Republican running against Rep. Dave Reis (R-Willow Hill) in the 109th District, told the SE Illinois News. “This is one of many reasons why I’m running for state representative. The people of our state deserve to have leaders who aren’t afraid to do the right thing, even when it means standing up to powerful leaders like Madigan. The speaker should resign for condoning sexual harassment among his staff.”
Former Madigan political staffer Alaina Hampton recently stepped forward to allege harassment by longtime Madigan operative Kevin Quinn, her direct supervisor and the brother of Chicago alderman and fellow Madigan ally Marty Quinn.
Hampton further alleged that her complaint was ignored by Madigan and other high-powered members of his organization.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Hampton alleges her issues with Kevin Quinn date back to 2016, when he started sending her inappropriate text messages and asking her out on dates.
She said in February 2017, she formally filed a complaint with Marty Quinn, one of Madigan’s top lieutenants.
By April of that year, Hampton had left her job after coming to believe her persistent complaints were largely being ignored.
She said she thinks there was a cover up because she sent a letter to Madigan’s home in late 2017, but again no action was taken against Kevin Quinn until a day after she went public with her story.
Hampton has also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and she and her attorneys now plan to file suit against the Illinois Democratic Party and Friends of Mike Madigan.
Bailey sees the issues in Springfield as running much deeper than just Madigan.
“Rep. David Reis has yet to make a statement about the numerous sexual harassment allegations that have been brought forth against Speaker Madigan’s aides,” he said. “He sat idly by while the speaker failed to appoint a legislative inspector general for three years."
The ruckus in Madigan’s office comes as legislative leaders in Springfield grapple with the fallout of the office of the legislative inspector general having gone unfilled for roughly three years. The inspector general is responsible for investigating all ethics complaints, including allegations of sexual harassment.
During the time the position went unfilled, at least 27 complaints alleging harassment were filed, including one against Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago), who has since been found to have engaged in behavior “unbecoming a legislator” in his dealings with local activist Denise Rotheimer.
“David Reis failed to stand up to Mike Madigan and the Chicago Democrats when he voted to support the income tax increase, and he appears to be doing the same thing now,” Bailey said. “Through his silence, Reis is in tacit compliance with the culture of corruption and inappropriate behavior
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