Chicago City Wire

State Rep. Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) relinquished control of the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday after nearly 40 years of reigning over the House.

Madigan said earlier in the week that he would no longer attempt to gain the 60 votes he needed to retain control of the House and instead, quietly make way for Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside) to take over.

“As I prepare to pass the speaker’s gavel to a new generation of Democratic leadership, I want to thank the people of my district and the members of the House Democratic caucus for the faith and trust they have placed in me over the years,” Madigan said in a statement. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to help bring people of different experiences and backgrounds together to serve our state.” 

Madigan didn’t get to leave office on his own terms — he was essentially driven out by a federal corruption scandal that started this summer after Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) settled with the federal government for $200 million. Madigan has repeatedly said he did nothing wrong when it came to ComEd, but the scandal has haunted him for months.

Welch, who has been a member of the House for nearly a decade, became the first Black Speaker of the House when he was voted in on Wednesday.

The Illinois Policy Institute said that during Madigan’s tenure, the state was ranked the most corrupt in the top 10 most populous states. 

“During Madigan’s tenure as speaker, the average number of federal public corruption convictions per capita in Illinois was the worst among large states, according to U.S. Department of Justice numbers,” the policy institute wrote. “The state averaged over a corruption conviction a week, for a total of 1,978 from 1983 until 2018, the most recent data.”

Also during Madigan’s reign, the state accumulated more than $144 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and consistently operated in the red, WBEZ reported. The state’s individual income tax rate also jumped 65 percent during his tenure.

Welch has his own history that he’ll have to push through. He was taken into custody in 2002 by Hillside Police after allegations were made that he battered his then-girlfriend and left a four-inch bruise on her arm.

The woman later chose not to press charges and Welch denied the incident the woman alleged had occurred.