SE Illinois News

Following the latest arrest of another former top ComEd executive, state Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) is imploring federal investigators now probing Springfield to continue digging in the ongoing investigation in which longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan has also been implicated.

“I want them to keep the heat on,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “I know that Madigan is a tough individual to trap, but I don’t want to see other people just taking the fall for him. So far, all the people charged are accused of bribery. For that to happen, someone has to be taking all these bribes.”

Federal authorities recently moved to charge Fidel Marquez, who formerly served as vice president of governmental affairs, with bribery and conspiracy stemming from his alleged part in a pay-for-play scheme in which indictments say jobs, contracts and payments were steered to associates known to be close to Madigan in exchange for his support on certain legislation.

Earlier this summer, federal investigators also announced that the utility giant had been charged with a years-long bribery scheme where at least $1.3 million in perks were steered to Madigan associates. At the same time, Madigan’s office was served with a grand jury subpoena seeking more information about their dealings with such companies as at AT&T, Walgreens and Rush University Medical Center.

“At the end of the day, the only way to stop the corruption in Springfield is for us to finally deal with it,” Bailey added. “It still amazes me that the people in Speaker Madigan’s district don’t demand more and that they keep putting him in office to represent them.”

Bailey added the only way he thinks real ethics reform will come to Springfield is after Madigan has been shown the door. He said he has little confidence that a newly formed special House committee convened to look into some of the speaker’s conduct will make a difference.

“That’s not going to go any further than Democrats decide to allow it to go,” he said. “It strikes me as just a formality, a move by Republicans to expose the lack of integrity on the part of Democrats, but that’s about it.”