Swearing-in of a new Illinois House Speaker

New Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) spoke to reporters Wednesday after the inauguration ceremony. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – New Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) spoke of a new day in Illinois during Wednesday’s inauguration.

Welch, who garnered 70 of 73 Illinois House Democratic votes, is the first Black person to become speaker. This comes as #MeToo and bribery scandals cost House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) much of his support, ending his reign after 18 two-year terms.

“Our politics force many people to see the issue as Black and white,” Welch said in his acceptance speech, “as opposed to human being to human being.”

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) spoke to reporters Wednesday in Springfield. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

On the floor of the Bank of Springfield Center, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) brought up Madigan’s legacy — to catcalls.

It is, Durkin said, “a legacy driven by absolute power and control; so much that his business model forced the largest public utility in the state to enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago.

“That’s an admission of fact!”

He’s referring to a federal investigation in which Commonwealth Edison admitted trying to bribe its way into favorable legislation over a period of years. The probe implicates Madigan, who is not charged and who says he committed no wrongdoing.

At a post-inauguration news conference, Durkin passed up another chance to say something nice. “I don’t have anything positive to say,” Durkin told reporters. “The institution is better off with him leaving.”

Actually, Madigan remains a state representative.

Durkin has been unhappy with Welch since the Welch-chaired Special Investigating Committee refused to subpoena Madigan. Just this week Durkin called Welch “Madigan 2.0,” but Wednesday Durkin acted as if there’s a clean slate.

For Welch, anyway.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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