Dawn Abernathy, the Republican candidate for the State House District 59 seat, called for State Auditor General Frank Mautino's resignation late last week.
Mautino, who took office in October, is the subject of state and federal investigations into his campaign finances.
| Contributed photo
State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Dist. 112) and 19 other GOP lawmakers filed House joint resolution (HJR) 158 to remove Mautino from office. Mautino was first asked to take unpaid leave during the federal probe. The lawmakers acted after Mautino did not respond to legislators' questions. With approximately $459,000 in question, Kay and his colleagues are demanding that House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Dist. 22) bring the resolution to the House floor at the Assembly's next session.
After announcing her support for HJR 158, Abernathy called for her opponent, Rep. Carol Sente (D-Dist. 59), to demand answers from Mautino regarding the investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Illinois State Board of Elections.
“We need new independent leadership in Springfield," Abernathy said. "Carol Sente has had the opportunity to stand up for our families and bring accountability to Springfield for seven years. Instead, she stood with Mike Madigan and voted to give Madigan’s top lieutenant a 10-year job with a guaranteed salary of $152,000. Now, even with a federal investigation into Mautino’s campaign spending, my opponent refuses to act. Every time there has been an opportunity to demonstrate independent leadership, Carol Sente has fallen in line and protected the insiders."
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