Lake County Gazette

Denise Rotheimer knows a few things about taking on entrenched powerful figures in the Illinois Legislature.

While Speaker Mike Madigan is in the midst of an investigation involving a bribery charge against Commonwealth Edison, Rotheimer, an activist, victim rights advocate and two-time political candidate, has seen such behavior first-hand. She said there is a way to clean up the process, but no one with the authority to do something about it seems very interested.

“It's not surprising that public officials are once again basking in headlines alleging corruption involving Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan, in a shallow attempt to appear outraged,” she told Lake County Gazette. “The solution to eliminate the corruption problem in Illinois merely requires that legislators actually take ethics reforms seriously and do their jobs." 

In 2017, Rotheimer leveled accusations of sexual harassment against former state Senator Ira Silverstein, a Democrat who represented District 8 from 1999-2019. She said while she worked as a lobbyist and seeking to get bills passed, Silverstein made unwanted comments about her appearance and called her late at night to make inappropriate suggestions.

Rotheimer said she sees no evidence of serious attempts to clean up the system. She has tried to strengthen the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (SOEEA) by proposing a Complainants’ Bill of Rights, but said little has been done.

“The running joke that is often cited by members of the Illinois General Assembly consists of the words: ‘Nothing to see here, folks,’ because they know the ethics process lacks transparency, fairness, or penalties for elected officials,” Rotheimer said. 

Since the SOEEA was enacted in 2004 only two complaints against sitting legislators – former state Senators Suzi Schmidt and Ira I. Silverstein – were substantiated. Both complaints were based on a finding under the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act for “conduct unbecoming of a legislator” which prohibits any penalty to enforce the law. 

Silverstein stepped down as a Senate Democratic whip, but retained his Senate seat. However, he was challenged in a primary in 2018 for the first time since elected in 1998. Silverstein was soundly defeated and resigned from the Legislature days before his term ended.

He attempted a comeback in elective office in 2020 but was defeated in the March 17 Democratic primary for a seat as the 9th Subcircuit judge of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court.

“The culture of corruption that has been rampant and ongoing for decades in Illinois by elected officials who abuse their position of power is not limited to sexual harassment, discrimination or other forms of harassment,” Rotheimer  said. “Yet, certain political players, namely state Senator Melinda Bush, merely exploited the cause to prohibit sexual harassment only to further advance her political career. The only bill that passed out of the Illinois General Assembly in August 2019 that amended the SOEEA specifically relating to ethics reform is the bill I authored that Bush took credit for after she watered it down and made it abusive for victims of sexual harassment.

“My plea to Gov. Pritzker in an email which pointed out those flaws included a solution to remedy Bush’s errors and were enacted into law in December 2019,” Rotheimer said. “However, the Complainant Bill of Rights still excludes all complainants from enjoying rights no different than all complainants from enjoying independent review of their complaints against state officials or employees.”

Perhaps the current scandal involving Madigan, the longest-serving state speaker of the House in American history, will offer a road forward, she said.

“I would like to see where Bush and all the other so-called ethics reformers are on pushing legislation forward that consists of true reforms that are inclusive and all-encompassing to ensure that every Illinois resident has a voice in our system of government and a remedy to hold elected officials accountable,” Rotheimer said.

“If there is such a legislator then let him or her first make the demand to expose the anonymous ‘sitting legislator’ whom by review of his or her peers deemed ‘that the complaint showed sufficient evidence that the law had been violated,’” she said. “How can one call on a ghost legislator and how can any legislator say they are for ethics reform when all of them are allowing the cover up of a complaint that showed sufficient evidence of a violation of law? In these two words, ‘They can’t.’”

In 2014, Rotheimer ran as an independent for a state House seat representing District 62, but her name was taken off the ballot after an objection and challenge. In 2017, she announced plans to run as a Republican for the seat but dropped out of the race in December 2017.

Still, Rotheimer maintains a strong interest in politics and government. She offered advice to lawmakers in the wake of these recent revelations.

“Rather than limit their disgust to media soundbites, legislators should enact reforms that will hold elected officials accountable by making the ethics process more transparent, independent, and equitable,” Rotheimer said. “As a result of Illinois' do-nothing politicians, the Ethics code remains ornamental.”