SPRINGFIELD — State Sen. Rickey Hendon, a flamboyant former West Side alderman known for his nickname “Hollywood” and his controversial mouth, abruptly quit Thursday.
“I’m out,” Hendon, 57, told the Tribune. “Out is out.”
The surprise announcement by the veteran lawmaker comes months after revelations that a federal grand jury issued subpoenas for records on dozens of state grants, some of which he sponsored. On Thursday, Hendon repeatedly said he was hanging up as a reporter tried to ask whether his decision to resign was related to the federal subpoenas.
The subpoenas sought state agency records about dealings with more than 50 individuals and nearly 40 entities, according to copies of the August subpoenas served state agencies and obtained by the Tribune. Included are groups that won grants for after-school programs, job training and health programs, including several that were part of a 2008 Tribune investigation into Hendon’s sponsorship of after-school grants.
Hendon did say he was upset about the “pathetic” vote totals racked up by African-American candidates and the low turnout overall in Tuesday’s city election. Hendon supported Patricia Horton in the city clerk race, but she lost to state Rep. Susana Mendoza.
Sen. Donne Trotter, a longtime friend, elaborated. “He thought that we, as people of color in the city of Chicago, have made some giant strides over the years, and he saw that it has deteriorated.”
“There was no cohesiveness in our community, and he has always been … one of our champions,” said Trotter, D-Chicago.
Long known as loud, boisterous and a flashy dresser, Hendon picked up his “Hollywood” nickname when he served in the City Council. He also tried his hand at making a movie, but the 1992 film “Butterscotch and Chocolate,” which he starred in as a reporter, never took off.
Hendon became a lightning rod in the closing days of the fall campaign for governor. At an appearance with Gov. Pat Quinn, Hendon called Republican candidate Sen. Bill Brady “racist, sexist and homophobic.” Hendon later acknowledged he might have gone too far when he said that “if you think gay and lesbian people need to be locked up and shot in the head, vote for Bill Brady.”
Quinn called Hendon’s remarks “intemperate” at the time but did not ask the senator to apologize. On Thursday, Quinn called Hendon “a good man” who has a “big heart and a lot of energy.”
After that election, Hendon said he would be less outspoken, but he’s rarely been one to hold back. He once nearly came to blows with then-state Sen. Barack Obama when the two served together in Springfield. Obama had voted — inadvertently, he said later — for budget cuts that eliminated a child-welfare office in Hendon’s district, and they criticized each other during debate. Microphones off, the two headed to the back of the Senate chamber, where Obama tried to put his hand on Hendon’s shoulder. Hendon slapped it away.
At least one colleague hopes Hendon changes his mind. “I’m hoping that he’s just a little tired,” Trotter said. “And that after some rest, he’ll come back and get into the fight, because there’s clearly a lot of work that needs to be done.”
But Hendon’s letter of resignation to Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he appreciated his “constituents and supporters, and I pray that they will accept my decision and allow me to move on with my life.”
Hendon would have been up for re-election in 2012. The Democratic Party organizations in his district would appoint a replacement to fill out his term.
Hendon’s salary was more than $88,000 as an assistant majority leader, and he would likely be eligible to start drawing more than 80 percent of his pay as pension if he were to begin now, said Timothy Blair, executive director of the General Assembly Retirement System.
![A 14-year-old boy was charged in a fatal shooting in March in the South Loop neighborhood that killed a 17-year-old boy and wounded a 15-year-old, police said. The boy, whose name was not released due to his age, was arrested Monday in the 100 block of South Central Park Avenue after he was identified as the person who fatally wounded Jeremy Smith, 17, during a teen take over in the South Loop, officials said. Another boy, 15, also was injured in the shooting. The 14-year-old boy was charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder, attempt murder and aggravated battery discharge […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTC-L-roosevelt-shooting.jpg?w=572 "A 14-year-old boy was charged in a fatal shooting in March in the South Loop neighborhood that killed a 17-year-old boy and wounded a 15-year-old, police said. The boy, whose name was not released due to his age, was arrested Monday in the 100 block of South Central Park Avenue after he was identified as the person who fatally wounded Jeremy Smith, 17, during a teen take over in the South Loop, officials said. Another boy, 15, also was injured in the shooting. The 14-year-old boy was charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder, attempt murder and aggravated battery discharge […]")