North Egypt News

Conservative activist Karen Tucker steams that in some ways COVID-19 has become a convenient excuse for House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“Anytime he doesn’t want to face accountability or answer difficult questions he stands behind it,” Tucker told the Quincy Reporter. “It’s all about Mike Madigan.”

As the latest example, Tucker points to the way state legislative leaders, citing rising COVID-19 infection rates, have now moved to cancel the fall Veto Session scheduled to begin this month. Since then, staffers from Madigan’s office have stepped forward to claim they have the backing of a “strong majority” of House Democrats.

Tucker isn’t so sure.

“I think he’s feeling the heat,” she said. “He’s already been asked to step down as speaker by several Democrats and I think he’s afraid if the legislature gets together in Springfield right now, there could be more.”

The state’s longest-tenured lawmaker, Madigan now finds himself in the middle of a still evolving federal corruption where bribes are alleged to have been funneled to him in exchange for favorable legislation.

“It’s about saving himself and doing whatever it takes to do that,” Tucker added. “Right now, they all should be in Springfield doing the job of reining in Gov. J.B. Pritzker that they were elected to do. Instead, they’re sitting at home doing nothing, trying to stick their heads in the sand in hopes that will make everything go away.”

Tucker laments the real victims are all the taxpayers spread across the state.

“Based on how they’re acting, my thought is these lawmakers are nonessential and should be on unemployment instead of being paid by taxpayers,” she said. "All essential workers are still working. They’re not doing anything, not legislating, leading or anything else.”