By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – A report just out Tuesday lays bare the culture of sexual harassment and bullying at the Capitol. It rises from the Springfield connections to the #MeToo movement.
State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) is one of many women lawmakers on an advisory council leading up to the report. She says the report – and House Speaker Mike Madigan – are unique.
“Keep in mind: I can’t think of any other time when a report like this has been commissioned and then released publicly. There are no redactions. It is what it is. The findings are out there.”
Williams says the nearly 200-page report, by former federal prosecutor and inspector general Maggie Hickey, was the product of much first-hand research.
“I take responsibility for not doing enough previously to prevent issues in my office,” Madigan said in a written statement. He adds while his office has taken steps, there is more work to be done.
To those skeptical of Madigan’s motives and whether his concern is genuine, Williams says – this is not just about one person. “I think most of us realize that this is a Capitol-wide problem,” she adds/
The inappropriate remarks and behavior have cost Madigan’s chief of staff, Tim Mapes, and others in his political operation their jobs, though there have been reports of some of those people collecting checks and / or lobbying business from entities which could be connected to Madigan.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
