Will County Gazette

Will County Board Member and Home Township Supervisor Steve Balich respond to House Speaker Chris Welch's (D-Hillside) office memo stating talking points in favor of former House Speaker Mike Madigan after his indictment.

Welch's office has then disavowed the memo.

“Corruption is the problem," Balich told Will County Gazette. "Get rid of the corruption, and we don't have quite as bad a place. They don't know how to spend money, but maybe that's part of corruption too, that they can't figure out how to balance a budget and decide to raise taxes.” 

Among the talking points reported by CapitalFax, read: "Despite my misgivings regarding this case, I want to reiterate that Speaker Welch has my full support. Our legislative accomplishments since he has taken the lead, including a major Medicaid Reform and the landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, are undoubtedly victories to be proud of."

“In my township Homer, I've been supervisor since May 17," Balich added. "We cut 20 percent of the tax dollars. If I can do it why can't these other places? Well, maybe because they don't want to. You know, it's too easy just to raise the taxes.”

Welch who was a handpicked successor of Madigan, was accused of protecting the former House Speaker in 2020 after closing a probe into the ComEd bribery scandal. Welch was the chairman of the special committee investigating Madigan’s conduct. 

The memo also suggested Democrats say: "While I always stand with law enforcement, I, unfortunately, feel I must call into question certain aspects of the investigation process regarding Speaker Madigan’s case. From the start, he has faced unfair, partisan accusations; charges which appear to have influenced the indictments laid out today."

Several investigation documents lead to revealing Madigan has been running a racketeering ring involved in a $150 million bribery scandal.

"Regardless of the outcome of these proceedings, it is incumbent on us to focus on the needs of the people of Illinois and continue the legislative process to best address their needs," according to another part of the memo. 

Madigan refused to admit the charges stating that he was "never involved in any criminal activity" in his five decades in office. Madigan, who spent 36 years as House speaker, the longest in the country’s history, is accused of using the office for personal gain. "I adamantly deny these accusations and look back proudly on my time as an elected official, serving the people of Illinois," Madigan added.