Lake County Gazette

Illinois state House candidate Dan Yost (R-Antioch) is firm in his position that longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) needs to go, but the Antioch Village trustee is less sure about that being the cure-all for what really ails Springfield.

“His departure would go a long way in restoring some faith in state government,” Yost told the Lake County Gazette. “I just don’t think it’s enough. We need more than just one person leaving office. We need to change the culture and the rules in Springfield.”

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are clamoring for Madigan's resignation in the midst of multiple corruption scandals clouding the State Capitol, and a growing number of them are also demanding that Gov. J.B. Pritzker convene a special session of the legislature to deal with the escalating issue. Yost, running against incumbent Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee) in the 61st District, said he wants to be part of the change.

Illinois state House candidate Dan Yost (R-Antioch)

“For me on a personal level, I don’t want to go to Springfield to learn how to be a career politician, I’m going there to teach politicians how to be regular people,” Yost said. “The people of Illinois deserve a government that works for us. Right now, corruption is so ingrained we should be doing everything we can to resolve this issue that affects everyone.”

Over the last several weeks, at least two longtime Democratic state lawmakers have been forced to step down from office after being implicated in separate scandals involving bribery and kickbacks. Former Illinois state Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) was taken into custody on federal bribery charges after allegedly offering a $2,500-per-month payment to a sitting state senator in exchange for a vote on a gambling bill. 

Not long after, state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago), who also served as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, tendered his resignation effective Jan. 1 as federal agents continue their probe into his alleged involvement in an ongoing kickback scheme.

“We can’t just keep telling people to trust us with their tax dollars,” Yost said. “When you’ve got a government you can’t trust, how can you just keep pumping more money into it?"