Illinois state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | State Representative Adam Niemerg/Facebook
Illinois state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) | State Representative Adam Niemerg/Facebook
Illinois state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) is arguing that Democratic state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt is doing a disservice to her constituents.
Van Pelt no longer takes part in the legislative process but has refused to step down from office, an act that would allow Senate Majority Leader Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) to appoint a replacement for her to represent District 5 and its more than 218,000 residents; a recent Chicago City Wire report said.
“She needs to resign and let someone else step in to do the job,” Niemerg recently told the SE Illinois News. “If she were a state worker collecting a check and there was no evidence she was doing any work, she would be in serious trouble. How is this situation any different? She should resign.”
Sources stated that they did not see Van Pelt cast a single floor vote during the past legislative session or take part in any committee hearings or other activities, the City Wire report said. They added that Democrats have remained silent about the issue because with their 40-19 supermajority they do not need her vote to be able to move any of their preferred legislation.
In recent months rumors have percolated that the 65-year-old Van Pelt, who first assumed office more than a decade ago in 2013, was unable to join her Senate colleagues in Springfield due to medical issues. But the City Wire reported that she has continued to give speeches as a life coach under the name Dr. Pat, and her themes center on “soulmate attraction” and “regaining mastery over life and love.”
“I do not understand how anyone can be so cavalier with their oath of office,” Niemerg said. “Each time I have been sworn into a new term, I am reminded of the magnitude of the responsibility I have to be an advocate for the people I represent. I cannot imagine violating the trust the people have placed in me by shirking the responsibilities of the job. What Sen. Van Pelt is doing is wrong and inexcusable.
“I would hope that if this continues, the Senate will take the appropriate disciplinary steps. The Senate must expel her if this behavior continues.”
Van Pelt's 5th District includes many of the highest-income neighborhoods in the city of Chicago, including parts of the West Loop and Fulton Market District, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, River West, Bucktown, Little Italy, Tri-Taylor, University Village and the Illinois Medical District.
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