How Michael Madigan left an impact as speaker of the House on the Illinois General Assembly
Jan. 23—The man called "the Real Governor of
The new speaker, Rep.
"While our state has many problems, our schools are better, more children have access to health care, and our working-class families can more easily live the American Dream thanks to the strong leadership of Speaker Madigan," Welch said during his acceptance speech.
Many
Much of the
"Once again, total power in one person's hands — not the American Way!" state Rep.
Bost, 60, now a congressman, threw papers into the air as he continued: "These damn bills that come out of here all the damn time come out of here at the last second, and I have to try to figure out how to vote for my people. Every year we give power to one person. It was not meant that way in the
Madigan, 78, the longest-serving leader of a state legislative body in the country, was adept at using the power he wielded as House speaker in 35 of the last 37 years, often preventing
As chairman of the
Whether his time as speaker made
Attempts to influence legislation favorable to
Madigan has denied any wrongdoing in the bribery scheme and hasn't been charged in the investigation, which continues. He also was involved in controversies including his advocacy for more than 40 students applying for admission to the
Madigan has tangled with governors, most notably Republican
He didn't respond to
"I think his legacy is being the most powerful legislative leader and effective legislative leader," said Republican
"Madigan, I think, gets blamed for a lot of things and he probably gets credit for a lot of things he didn't really do or control, but he was first among equals, there's no doubt about that, in the legislature," Edgar said.
Rep.
Durkin elicited groans from
After Madigan left the floor, Durkin vented some of his own frustration when he said lawmakers must learn from the past.
Durkin, 59, said Madigan's legacy "leaves broken promises to
Durkin said Madigan's legacy "is also one which failed its citizens with unbalanced budgets, broken pension systems, tax increase after tax increase, with nothing to show for it."
Madigan, who began serving in the House 50 years ago, said in a statement on
He added: "And as I look at the large and diverse Democratic majority we have built — full of young leaders ready to continue moving our state forward, strong women and people of color and members representing all parts of our state — I am confident
Welch, 49, a member of the House since 2013 and an ally of Madigan in the past, said in his speech after being sworn in as speaker that he learned from Madigan.
"I have personally witnessed his steadfast leadership, and I have learned what true leadership looks like, even in the face of very difficult adversity," Welch said.
In a news conference after the vote to elect Welch as the new speaker, Welch said it wasn't appropriate for Durkin to raise the ComEd investigation in criticizing Madigan on the House floor. The legal process needs to play out, he said.
"I think Speaker Madigan should be applauded for what he has done for this state," Welch said. "We have 73
Longtime political observer
Simpson said Madigan, a protege of the late
Madigan, who can be cordial in person, also can be hard to get to know, Edgar said.
"You can be in a room with Mike and he may not say anything for an hour," Edgar said.
Madigan's involvement in politics started with his father, who was streets and sanitation superintendent of the
After attending
Madigan's father introduced him to Mayor Daley at the
Madigan told the archivists, who were compiling an oral history of Daley's tenure, that he modeled his leadership style after Daley.
And Madigan remained old-school, rarely seen carrying a cell phone and reportedly not checking email regularly. Madigan has been coy when asked whether his lunchtime routine consists of eating a single, sliced apple.
"Remember that, an apple a day keeps the doctor away," Madigan told a pair of reporters in 2016, according to the
Madigan has been married to
"I feel strongly that the state would not be well served by having a governor and speaker of the House from the same family and have never planned to run for governor if that would be the case," she said.
As speaker,
Madigan also was part of positive change in
Other observers noted that Madigan didn't spearhead but presided during the approval of gay marriage in
"There was nobody smarter in
But Simpson said Madigan, who helped craft the 1970 Illinois Constitution as a constitutional convention delegate, shares in the blame for
If Madigan remains in the House, he will retain influence over
Edgar said former Gov.
And regarding Madigan's role in the pension debt, Edgar said: "The pensions were screwed up before
When asked whether Madigan was corrupt, Edgar responded that he will be amazed if Madigan is indicted in the ComEd scandal.
"It depends on your definition of corruption," Edgar said. "Did he do anything Illegal? ... Madigan was always very careful."
Edgar said he enjoyed working with Madigan because Madigan could get his diverse caucus to agree on a potential state budget and other issues when legislators and the governor negotiated at the end of a legislative session.
"The thing I liked about dealing with the speaker was, once he said this is where he is, that's where he was," Edgar said. "You didn't have to go back and try to renegotiate with him. ... People say he was ruthless. I don't know if he was ruthless, but he delivered, and he got things done."
Edgar said Madigan sometimes would drive him "nuts" by delaying making a commitment on a course of action:
"He always was trying to out-wait you, or he wouldn't tell you what he was thinking. ... I can't imagine playing poker with that guy. You would lose all your money."
Edgar said Madigan was a genius at keeping track of potential votes on issues in both the
"That's very important when you're trying to get something passed or get something killed," Edgar said. "He was the best counter in the
Former state Rep.
But Black, 79, said: "I always respected him as an individual. He didn't come in half-prepared. He was always a gentleman to me.
"He was just very, very disciplined in his patterns. He didn't go off on tangents."
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