Michael Madigan
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Madigan is the Speaker
of the Illinois House of Representatives
and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois
. A Democrat
, he has held the position of Speaker of the House for all but two years since 1983—those two years being a brief interregnum of Republican majority.
He has been a member of the Illinois House since 1971, and currently represents the 22nd district.
and has lived there most of his life. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep
on the west side of Chicago. He attended college at the University of Notre Dame
and graduated from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law
. Madigan represents the 22nd Representative District on Chicago's southwest side. He has also served for many years as Democratic Committeeman of the 13th ward. His is generally considered one of the more effective ward organizations at a time when the vote-getting power of such groups has declined notably.
and Senate President Emil Jones
.
One of Madigan's chief Democratic deputies in the House is Gary Hannig
, who often handles budget issues.
for families is to get Mr. Madigan to be a Democrat again and stop being a George Bush
Republican." Madigan refused to meet with Blagojevich for more than two months after Blagojevich introduced the budget; rather than the proposed $5 billion in increased spending, he recommended $1 billion, funded by the ending of a tax break. When talks stalled, Madigan invited the entire House to accompany him to budget negotiations.
Illinois senior Senator Dick Durbin said in 2008 that he receives many constituent complaints about the dispute between Blagojevich and Madigan, with letter writers wanting him to step in to negotiate. Durbin said the subject is also often talked about in the United States Congress
in Washington, D.C.
among the Illinois congressional delegation. However, Durbin joked that he'd rather go to Baghdad
to mediate than Springfield
.
The Chicago Sun-Times
statehouse bureau reporter of 13 years, Dave McKinney, said of Madigan's style as Speaker:
The relationship between Blagojevich and Madigan hit its low in October 2007, when Blagojevich fired Bronwyn Rains, wife of Madigan's chief of staff Timothy Mapes, from her position of psychologist
with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Blagojevich claims to have based this on Rains' educational background, but she had worked for the department for 24 years with no record of a problem; one observer called the fallout "nuclear war."
Blagojevich several times slashed funding for the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), which provides grants to arts and arts education organizations throughout the state. The IAC claims that it is under-funded relative to peer institutions especially with regard to arts education. Since Madigan's wife, Shirley, is the chair of the IAC, some political observers assumed that the IAC budget cuts are part of the ongoing war between Madigan and Blagojevich.
Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson and House Republican Leader Tom Cross
have often met with Madigan, his Senate counterpart Emil Jones
, and Blagojevich in an attempt to referee disputes. In August 2008, Blagojevich claimed that House Democrats who held City of Chicago jobs were fearful of voting in favor of his 2008 capital bill because they thought Madigan might be able to get them fired. Blagojevich told reporters: "They fear their leader, Mr. Madigan, and if Mike Madigan tells them to vote a certain way, they will tell you privately, and I've had these discussions with a couple of state reps, one of whom said, 'I'm afraid if I vote for the jobs bill I'll be fired from my job at Streets and Sanitations [sic]. I'm afraid I'll lose my job.'" The one state legislator who works at the Streets and Sanitation Department in Chicago is Rich Bradley, who told the Chicago Sun-Times
that he hadn't talked to Blagojevich in about two years. Rep. Gary Hannig
told the newspaper that Blagojevich had told House Democrats he was referring to D'Amico. When contacted, D'Amico said that Blagojevich had asked him if he feared losing his job with the city of Chicago's water department, at which point D'Amico said that he had been in a union for 26 years and could not be fired easily, and instead he opposed the capital bill because Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
opposed it.
On December 15, 2008, Madigan announced that he was taking steps to initiate impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich. He has named members of the Illinois House of Representatives to a special committee charged with investigating whether Governor Blagojevich engaged in conduct, including the Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
, that should be subject to possible impeachment charges the House can bring. He named Illinois House of Representatives
Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie
to Chair the 21-member House committee on impeachment. After the committee reported, Madigan presided over the House deliberations which unanimously voted out the first impeachment of an Illinois Governor. Subsequently, the Illinois Senate
tried and removed Governor Blagojevich from office, also by a unanimous vote.
" and would therefore hurt the poor, who are “the least able in our society to take on additional costs.”
Madigan has not been amenable to expansion of gambling in the state, although when the subject came up again in 2007 he said he would hold public hearings to gauge support for expansion of three casinos in Illinois.
over his advocacy for more 40 applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. Governor Pat Quinn
appointed a commission, to be led by retired Judge Abner Mikva, to investigate attempts by lawmakers and others to influence admissions of unqualified candidates (whose relatives had given money to Michael Madigan, other lawmakers, and the state Democratic Party which is chaired by Madigan) at the state's largest university. Judge Mikva, in his May 2010 final report findings, stated that the university's admissions officials were the ones most culpable, because they should have refused the lawmakers' requests, although he also said a separate commission should be established by Governor Quinn and/or the legislature to look into possible misconduct by Madigan and others.
. His oldest daughter, Lisa Madigan
, is the Illinois Attorney General
.
In 2002, Madigan helped his daughter Lisa garner more campaign contributions in her run for Illinois Attorney General than even the candidates for governor that year. At one point, Lisa Madigan's $1.2 million raised was more than all the attorney general candidates in 1998 had raised, combined.
During the campaign, allegations of misconduct in campaign contributions arose—Madigan was accused of using taxpayer dollars for political purposes. Republican gubernatorial candidate, Jim Ryan
, suggested that Madigan should resign. Madigan's daughter Lisa was running for state Attorney General during that year's election and called the allegations baseless. Lisa Madigan's opponent in the race called on her to pay back taxpayer-paid bonuses her father had paid staffers before they departed to work on his daughter's campaign. A federal investigation into one of Lisa Madigan's political endorsements ensued after Madigan allegedly contacted a union boss in Chicago shortly before the union endorsed Madigan's daughter for the post, but nothing came out of it.
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois
Democratic Party of Illinois
The Democratic Party of Illinois is a political party and affiliate of the United States Democratic Party in Illinois. It is the oldest still-existing state party in Illinois and, along with the Green and Republican Parties, one of just three legally established parties in the state.-History:The...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he has held the position of Speaker of the House for all but two years since 1983—those two years being a brief interregnum of Republican majority.
He has been a member of the Illinois House since 1971, and currently represents the 22nd district.
Early life
Madigan was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and has lived there most of his life. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep
St. Ignatius College Prep
Saint Ignatius College Prep is a private, coeducational Jesuit high school located in Chicago, Illinois. The school was founded in Chicago in 1870 by Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J., a Belgian missionary to the United States. The school is coeducational, Catholic, college preparatory and sponsored by the...
on the west side of Chicago. He attended college at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and graduated from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of the Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago, within walking distance of the Water Tower , the John...
. Madigan represents the 22nd Representative District on Chicago's southwest side. He has also served for many years as Democratic Committeeman of the 13th ward. His is generally considered one of the more effective ward organizations at a time when the vote-getting power of such groups has declined notably.
Law practice
Madigan was founder and continues as senior partner of the law firm Madigan & Getzendanner.http://www.madigetz.com/ Which has been accused of profiting millions off of Madigan's position and power. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-madigan-rules-justice-20100925,0,7476955.storyLegislative career
He has been Speaker of the Illinois House since 1982, with the exception of 1995–1996 when Republicans took control of the chamber. Madigan engineered a Democratic comeback and regained his majority at the elections of November 1996, which he continues to defend today. He has feuded with other Democratic leaders since 2002 when Democrats took control of all branches of the state government most notably Governor Rod BlagojevichRod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
and Senate President Emil Jones
Emil Jones
Emil Jones, Jr. was the President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Jones served in the Illinois Senate from 1983 to 2009, where he served as President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to the end of his term...
.
One of Madigan's chief Democratic deputies in the House is Gary Hannig
Gary Hannig
Gary Hannig is Illinois's Secretary of Transportation. Hannig was previously a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 98th District from 1979 to 2009....
, who often handles budget issues.
Relationship with Blagojevich
Madigan and Blagojevich have clashed over Blagojevich's proposals for increased state spending. Blagojevich blamed the 2007 budget crisis on Madigan, releasing a statement that said, "The way to be able to finally get budgets that achieve the objective of health care and educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
for families is to get Mr. Madigan to be a Democrat again and stop being a George Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Republican." Madigan refused to meet with Blagojevich for more than two months after Blagojevich introduced the budget; rather than the proposed $5 billion in increased spending, he recommended $1 billion, funded by the ending of a tax break. When talks stalled, Madigan invited the entire House to accompany him to budget negotiations.
Illinois senior Senator Dick Durbin said in 2008 that he receives many constituent complaints about the dispute between Blagojevich and Madigan, with letter writers wanting him to step in to negotiate. Durbin said the subject is also often talked about in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
among the Illinois congressional delegation. However, Durbin joked that he'd rather go to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
to mediate than Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
.
The Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
statehouse bureau reporter of 13 years, Dave McKinney, said of Madigan's style as Speaker:
"It's sort of the classic case that you get a guy (Madigan) who is steeped in discipline versus a guy who's very undisciplined, like Blagojevich. You can see it in their work habits, in their mannerisms.
Madigan is very measured in what he says. You never see him flying off on things. He is so precise.
This guy has been speaker for almost 30 years. He runs that chamber almost like he runs his house. They come in on time. He knows the rules. He's written the rules.
Madigan likes news clippings given to him every day; he likes to keep up on things. And he likes them clipped and organized in a certain way. With Rod, you get the sense that he's more of a big ideas person, but then doesn't really have the wherewithal to carry through on things to make sure they get done, to deliver."
The relationship between Blagojevich and Madigan hit its low in October 2007, when Blagojevich fired Bronwyn Rains, wife of Madigan's chief of staff Timothy Mapes, from her position of psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Blagojevich claims to have based this on Rains' educational background, but she had worked for the department for 24 years with no record of a problem; one observer called the fallout "nuclear war."
Blagojevich several times slashed funding for the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), which provides grants to arts and arts education organizations throughout the state. The IAC claims that it is under-funded relative to peer institutions especially with regard to arts education. Since Madigan's wife, Shirley, is the chair of the IAC, some political observers assumed that the IAC budget cuts are part of the ongoing war between Madigan and Blagojevich.
Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson and House Republican Leader Tom Cross
Tom Cross (politician)
Tom Cross is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 84th district where he has served since 1993...
have often met with Madigan, his Senate counterpart Emil Jones
Emil Jones
Emil Jones, Jr. was the President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Jones served in the Illinois Senate from 1983 to 2009, where he served as President of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to the end of his term...
, and Blagojevich in an attempt to referee disputes. In August 2008, Blagojevich claimed that House Democrats who held City of Chicago jobs were fearful of voting in favor of his 2008 capital bill because they thought Madigan might be able to get them fired. Blagojevich told reporters: "They fear their leader, Mr. Madigan, and if Mike Madigan tells them to vote a certain way, they will tell you privately, and I've had these discussions with a couple of state reps, one of whom said, 'I'm afraid if I vote for the jobs bill I'll be fired from my job at Streets and Sanitations [sic]. I'm afraid I'll lose my job.'" The one state legislator who works at the Streets and Sanitation Department in Chicago is Rich Bradley, who told the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
that he hadn't talked to Blagojevich in about two years. Rep. Gary Hannig
Gary Hannig
Gary Hannig is Illinois's Secretary of Transportation. Hannig was previously a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 98th District from 1979 to 2009....
told the newspaper that Blagojevich had told House Democrats he was referring to D'Amico. When contacted, D'Amico said that Blagojevich had asked him if he feared losing his job with the city of Chicago's water department, at which point D'Amico said that he had been in a union for 26 years and could not be fired easily, and instead he opposed the capital bill because Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
opposed it.
On December 15, 2008, Madigan announced that he was taking steps to initiate impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich. He has named members of the Illinois House of Representatives to a special committee charged with investigating whether Governor Blagojevich engaged in conduct, including the Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, is an American politician under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2005 for corruption. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald...
, that should be subject to possible impeachment charges the House can bring. He named Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie
Barbara Flynn Currie
Barbara Flynn Currie is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 25th District since 1979.- Political career :...
to Chair the 21-member House committee on impeachment. After the committee reported, Madigan presided over the House deliberations which unanimously voted out the first impeachment of an Illinois Governor. Subsequently, the Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
tried and removed Governor Blagojevich from office, also by a unanimous vote.
Political positions
Madigan opposed Blagojevich's proposed gross receipts tax in 2007, which would have been the largest tax increase in Illinois history. He said the tax was "regressiveRegressive tax
A regressive tax is a tax imposed in such a manner that the tax rate decreases as the amount subject to taxation increases. "Regressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from high to low, where the average tax rate exceeds the...
" and would therefore hurt the poor, who are “the least able in our society to take on additional costs.”
Madigan has not been amenable to expansion of gambling in the state, although when the subject came up again in 2007 he said he would hold public hearings to gauge support for expansion of three casinos in Illinois.
Controversy over UIUC admissions
Madigan refused to testify in the inquiryUniversity of Illinois clout scandal
The University of Illinois clout scandal resulted from a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune which reported that some applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "received special consideration" for acceptance between 2005 and 2009, despite having sub-par qualifications. ...
over his advocacy for more 40 applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Governor Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...
appointed a commission, to be led by retired Judge Abner Mikva, to investigate attempts by lawmakers and others to influence admissions of unqualified candidates (whose relatives had given money to Michael Madigan, other lawmakers, and the state Democratic Party which is chaired by Madigan) at the state's largest university. Judge Mikva, in his May 2010 final report findings, stated that the university's admissions officials were the ones most culpable, because they should have refused the lawmakers' requests, although he also said a separate commission should be established by Governor Quinn and/or the legislature to look into possible misconduct by Madigan and others.
The Madigan family and their role in Illinois government
Madigan and his wife, Shirley, have four children: Lisa, Tiffany, Nicole, and Andrew. Two members of this immediate family hold senior positions in the government. Shirley is the head of the Illinois Arts CouncilIllinois Arts Council
The Illinois Arts Council is a government agency of the state of Illinois formed to encourage development of the arts throughout Illinois. Founded in 1965 by the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Arts Council provides financial and technical assistance to artists, arts organizations, and...
. His oldest daughter, Lisa Madigan
Lisa Madigan
Lisa Madigan has been the 41st Attorney General of the US state of Illinois since 2003, when she became the first female attorney general for Illinois...
, is the Illinois Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
.
In 2002, Madigan helped his daughter Lisa garner more campaign contributions in her run for Illinois Attorney General than even the candidates for governor that year. At one point, Lisa Madigan's $1.2 million raised was more than all the attorney general candidates in 1998 had raised, combined.
During the campaign, allegations of misconduct in campaign contributions arose—Madigan was accused of using taxpayer dollars for political purposes. Republican gubernatorial candidate, Jim Ryan
Jim Ryan (politician)
James E. Ryan is an American politician who served two four-year terms as Illinois Attorney General. A career Republican, he received his party's nomination and ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Illinois against Rod Blagojevich in 2002. He has been a professor at Benedictine University since 2003...
, suggested that Madigan should resign. Madigan's daughter Lisa was running for state Attorney General during that year's election and called the allegations baseless. Lisa Madigan's opponent in the race called on her to pay back taxpayer-paid bonuses her father had paid staffers before they departed to work on his daughter's campaign. A federal investigation into one of Lisa Madigan's political endorsements ensued after Madigan allegedly contacted a union boss in Chicago shortly before the union endorsed Madigan's daughter for the post, but nothing came out of it.
External links
- Illinois General Assembly - Representative Michael J. Madigan (D) 22nd District official IL House website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Michael Madigan (IL) profile
- Follow the Money - Michael Madigan
- Democratic Party of Illinois, Chairman Michael J. Madigan official website
- Illinois House Democrats - Michael J. Madigan profile