Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan wrote he “didn’t do enough” to ensure people could report sexual harassment at the Illinois Capitol, where complaints continue to cloud state politics.
“I have made it a personal mission to take this issue head-on and correct past mistakes,” Madigan wrote in an op-ed published by the Chicago Tribune. “I wish I would have done so sooner.”
Complaints of sexual harassment have rocked the longtime speaker’s political and government organizations, putting him on the defensive after years of setting the agenda. Madigan has called for independent reviews, and he has ousted top aides and operatives, including top deputy Tim Mapes. He has also faced criticism from within his party about his handling of the complaints and writes there “will be a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of harassment.”
Madigan’s op-ed sounds a contrite tone in the closing weeks of the campaign in which Democrats and Republicans are battling for seats in Springfield. The leader of the state Democratic Party wrote in the op-ed that he has met with more than 100 women to ask about how he could do a better job.
“One of the first meetings I attended was with a group of women in their 20s and 30s. I heard stories of inappropriate behavior, both inside and outside of the Capitol. What’s worse, these young women did not feel there was anyone willing to listen or take action to alleviate their concerns,” Madigan wrote.
“What became clear is that I didn’t do enough, and that we, collectively, have failed in the Capitol to ensure everyone can reliably, confidentially and safely report harassment. I thought the pathways were there, but they weren’t,” he wrote.
In the op-ed, he lays out several harassment incidents without many details. In one case, he says he removed a supervisor who didn’t report abuse and harassment. He also says someone who made “inappropriate comments to several female staffers” doesn’t work in his office.
Madigan also wrote that he “learned of a legislative secretary who was being harassed by a male lobbyist.”
“Despite this lobbyist’s attempts to suppress her, this woman summoned the courage to report his abuses,” he wrote. “We immediately investigated and contacted the lobbyist’s employer. He is no longer a lobbyist.”
The speaker writes he is “committed to acting immediately” if other issues are raised by Maggie Hickey, a former federal prosecutor and inspector general for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner whom Madigan picked to further investigate “all allegations of discrimination and harassment.”
Madigan chief of staff Jessica Basham said Hickey doesn’t have a specific timetable for her review.
“We want her to take as much time as she thinks is reasonable,” Basham said.
Publication of the op-ed comes on the eve of the first televised debate between Rauner and Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker.
Sexual harassment was a regular theme in the Democratic primary from which Pritzker emerged, and Pritzker is among Democratic contenders whom Rauner routinely ties to Madigan.
Mapes’ departure in June came after a House staff member accused him of sexual harassment over several years and fostering a difficult work environment that included a “culture of sexism, harassment and bullying.” The staffer’s allegations followed a string of complaints from women about men’s behavior at the Capitol, particularly Democrats.
Last October, victim rights advocate Denise Rotheimer accused state Sen. Ira Silverstein of using her advocacy for a crime victim rights bill as an opening to pursue a personal relationship and produced hundreds of Facebook messages documenting their interactions. A newly appointed legislative inspector general concluded Silverstein had acted in a way that was unbecoming of a lawmaker, and he lost his re-election bid.
In February, the Chicago Tribune disclosed sexual harassment allegations from Alaina Hampton, who was working on Democratic House campaigns and had received aggressive and inappropriate text messages from Kevin Quinn, a top aide in Madigan’s political organization. Madigan then ousted Quinn, the brother of Ald. Marty Quinn, the point man in the speaker’s 13th Ward.
Shortly after Hampton came forward, a lawmaker and several staffers approached Madigan with complaints about abusive behavior from longtime political operative and lobbyist Shaw Decremer. Madigan then parted ways with Decremer. The speaker also selected a law firm to look into Hampton’s complaints.
In May, North Side Rep. Kelly Cassidy complained she felt targeted by Mapes, Madigan’s then-chief of staff, after she was critical of how the speaker handled the sexual harassment complaints. Cassidy said Mapes called the Cook County sheriff’s office to inquire about a part-time job she held, which she viewed as a “warning.”
Later in May, top Madigan deputy Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie resigned his leadership posts after a former medical marijuana advocate accused him of retaliation, verbal abuse and “inappropriate behavior,” though Illinois legislature’s top watchdog recently wrote that “evidence does not support” abuse complaints against him.
On the Republican side, state Rep. Nick Sauer resigned nearly two months ago following a report of accusations that he sent nude photos of an ex-girlfriend to other men online. Rauner called the resignation the “right thing to do.”
And House Republican leader Jim Durkin this month pulled support from a Downstate lawmaker, citing “allegations” about his behavior and claiming a “zero tolerance policy on harassment of any kind,” but declined to provide further details.
Twitter @mikeriopell
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