McCuskey takes the helm at Legislative Inspector General’s Office
SPRINGFIELD – Michael McCuskey assumed his role of legislative inspector general this week, bringing 32 years of judicial experience to the position charged with investigating lawmaker misconduct. “I want them to be a little scared of me,” McCuskey, in an interview, said of the lawmakers who appointed him on Feb. 17. For the first time, […]
Retired judge McCuskey says he’s optimistic about new legislative watchdog role
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ new legislative watchdog already has a complaint waiting for him when he starts his new job on Tuesday. Retired judge Michael McCuskey said that complaint could offer an indication of the type of job he’s stepping into as the legislative inspector general. It’s an office that critics and even his predecessors have […]
Legislative inspector general job is now vacant
SPRINGFIELD – The last day on the job for the Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope was Thursday. The office will be vacant on Friday. “We have to reeducate ourselves to fight the corruption that exists under the Capitol dome,” Sen. Jil Tracy, R–Quincy, who chairs the Senate Ethics Commission, said during a news conference Thursday. Pope, […]
House Sponsor Says She’ll Take Another Crack At Ethics Bill – If Lawmakers Return In Time
SPRINGFIELD – The House sponsor of a long-debated ethics bill that failed in the House earlier this week said she will bring it up for another vote if lawmakers come back to the Capitol within a 15-day constitutional window in which such an action would be allowed. But House Republicans who pulled their support from […]
‘Paper Tiger’: Illinois’ Legislative Watchdog Resigns Citing Lack Of Ethics Reform
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope resigned from her job on Wednesday after more than two years in the role she called a “paper tiger” for what she said was its relative powerlessness. Pope told NPR Illinois that her repeated suggestions for how to improve the office have been ignored by the Democratically […]
Former Watchdog Says Lawmakers ‘Squashed’ Report Of ‘Serious Wrongdoing’
As Illinois lawmakers consider whether to change ethics laws after recent scandals, former legislative inspector general Julie Porter is urging them to…
News Around Illinois – February 7, 2020
Judge Orders Municipalities To Refund Carle Foundation $6.2 Million URBANA – A circuit judge has ordered the city of Urbana and other local taxing bodies to refund $6.2 million in property tax payments to the Carle Foundation. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge Randall Rosenbaum also called on Carle and the taxing authorities to end […]