East Central Reporter

Illinois House Speaker and Democrat Party Chief Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) gave $1,500 to Mattoon State House candidate Shirley Bell between July 15 and Aug. 15, state filings show.

 Madigan funding was disclosed in reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) by Friends of Shirley Bell, the campaign committee that supports Bell’s race against Republican Chris Miller in the 110th  district.

The district covers all or part of Humboldt, Ashmore, Kansas, Mattoon, Charleston, Westfield, Lerna, Martinsville, Marshall, Casey, Neoga, Toledo, Greenup, Jewett, Montrose, West Union, West York, Annapolis, Palestine, Stoy, Oblong, Robinson, Flat Rock and Lawrenceville.

Madigan’s contributions to Bell came from the campaign funds he controls, including his own committee, Friends of Michael J. Madigan, the Illinois Democratic Party and the Democratic County Chairman’s Association of Illinois.

Suburban vs. Chicago interests

Shirley Bell and other suburban Democrat State House candidates have faced criticism for their close ties to Madigan, who leads the Chicago caucus in Springfield.

Suburban Democrats from Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will Counties taking money from Madigan have consistently supported his Chicago-favoring initiatives.

Last year, they provided key votes for Madigan to pass a 32 percent income tax hike and $17 billion bailout of Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

They also helped Madigan quietly change the state school funding formula last year to make it more pro-Chicago, diverting state money to CPS, which has lost 50,000 students over the past decade, from their own districts.

CPS leaders, who spend more than $20,000 per student annually, among the highest in the state, have faced criticism for how they are spending taxpayer money. That includes operating empty schools while routinely building brand new ones and using taxpayer funds to pay for meals for teachers and administrators. 

More recently, payback for Madigan’s financial backing of their campaigns became more personal.

When three of Madigan’s most senior aides were accused of sexual harassment in June, it was suburban female legislators who protected the House Speaker from further investigation, rebutting calls for his resignation.

The Chicago Tribune called them “Me Too hypocrites.”

At the end of his current term, in Jan 2019, Madigan will have become the longest-serving House Speaker in U.S. history.

Madigan was first elected to the Illinois House in 1971 and first elected Speaker in 1983.