Lake County Gazette

Republican House candidate Dan Yost internalizes news of the latest arrest in the ongoing federal corruption probe involving ComEd by wondering when it will prompt his 61st District rival to do what he sees as the only thing she an do.

“I wonder who will be next and when my opponent will stand up for our district and our state, say enough is enough and demand that Speaker (Mike) Madigan resign from all of his positions,” Yost said. “I guess it’s hard to say no to all of the campaign funding he receives courtesy of the Madigan Machine.”

In a year where four Springfield Democrats have already been indicted on corruption related charges, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin recently led the charge in spearheading the creation of a Special House Committee that will look into behavior Madigan is suspected up to determine if disciplinary actions are warranted.

Composed of three Democrats (Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside, Elizabeth Hernandez of Cicero and Natalie Manley of Joliet) and three Republicans (Tom Demmer of Dixon, Deanne Mazzochi of Elmhurst and Grant Wehrli of Naperville), the bipartisan committee was formed after Madigan was implicated in h ComEd investigation over payments that were allegedly steered to him in exchange for votes.

A majority vote is needed for the probe to proceed to the next stage – a new committee empowered to determine potential sanctions that would then be voted on by the entire House. A two-thirds majority would be required for any discipline to be taken against Madigan, which could include expulsion.

Running against Democratic incumbent state Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee), Yost argues that the time has come for Madigan to go has long passed and is calling on those like Mason to join the chorus calling for his ouster.

“My opponent continues to accept campaign cash from Madigan despite decades of financial mismanagement, corruption and even the mishandling of allegations of sexual harassment,” he said. “Madigan continues to block ethics reforms and remains in charge of your family’s future in Illinois. I’m running to usher in an era of transparency and restoration of trust in Springfield.”