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North Egypt News

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Tucker is quick to label Democrats' sudden push for ethics reform as 'just pandering to the people'

Journatic

House Speaker Mike Madigan | File photo

House Speaker Mike Madigan | File photo

Franklin County activist Karen Tucker doesn’t mince words when it comes to explaining her lack of a faith in an ethics reform package now being advanced by Democrats in Springfield.

“When people have been cheating the system as long as they have, you have to know that any plan they put forth is going to be one that works to their benefit,” Tucker told the North Egypt News. “To me, it’s just pandering to the people when you’re not really doing anything to change things.”

With House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) now embroiled in a still developing federal corruption probe involving utility giant ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme, some Democrat lawmakers are pushing an array of reform measures they tout as ways to change the culture in Springfield. Topping the list of proposals are measures that would ban legislators from becoming lobbyists, require greater financial disclosures, establish a censure process, make the legislative inspector general more independent, and institute term limits.

At this point, Tucker wonders if such changes may be too little too late to bring about the level of changes that are truly needed.

“We need a complete overhaul, a total house cleaning of the Assembly, starting with Madigan and the institution of term limits,” she said. “We can no longer allow politicians to dig in to make this a career option. Serving in Springfield is supposed to be a public service not a career path. With changes like that, maybe we’ll start to attract people driven by doing the right thing for the people instead of the right thing for themselves and the next election.”

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