NW Illinois News

After being given several opportunities to openly speak his opinions on House Speaker Mike Madigan, state Rep. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) continues to decline to reveal his position on whether he will support the speaker's bid for re-election to his post. 

With Madigan directly implicated in the ComEd bribery scandal and continuing federal investigation, the House speaker has lost his support and popularity among Illinois Democrats, 4 the Record reported. Instead of voicing his opposition on the matter, Halpin has said he will not give a response as to whether or not he opposes Madigan's potential return to the position of House speaker. 

"Outrageous. Given THREE opportunities by this reporter to declare his opposition to Madigan as Speaker, State Representative Mike Halpin refuses to answer," the Illinois Republican Party wrote in a post on its Facebook page. "Instead, he says that decision should be made behind closed doors, leaving his constituents blind. GO TO HIS FACEBOOK PAGE and let this Downstate Democrat know how you feel about his cowardice."

Illinois residents weren't completely surprised that Halpin wants decisions to be made behind closed doors. 

"Surprises no one. Halpin is the most unresponsive-to-his-constituents public servant I've ever seen in my life," Rick VanOteghem said in response to the post. "He NEVER responds to letters and NEVER listens to the people. Still the people blindly vote for the dolt election after election." 

Some residents said when decisions aren't made transparently, it shows that Illinois lawmakers don't have the best interests of the people in minds. 

"Why should (it) be behind closed doors? Really that in itself says they don't have our best interest in mind," Sandra Gudausky, an Illinois resident, said in response to the post.