Month: December 2019

8th State Central Committee Application Period Now Open

Due to the resignation of Ryan Higgins from the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider has declared a vacancy in the Illinois Republican State Central Committee’s 8th District. The 8th District Congressional Committee is responsible for appointing a new State Central Committeeman to represent the 8th District. The committee has opened the application process until 5:00 PM Monday, January 13, 2020. If you are interested in serving as the 8th District State Central Committeeman and meet all of the requirements, please submit your application to the Illinois Republican Party’s Executive Director Anthony Sarros.

Serving on the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, State Central Committeemen responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Establish, organize, and promote the operations of the Illinois Republican Party
• Attend and participate in quarterly State Central Committee meetings
• Attend local GOP meetings and functions
• Conduct the business of ILGOP State Convention

For the application, please see below

Today, the Illinois Republican Party officially selected Peoria as host of the 2020 ILGOP State Convention to take place June 11-13, 2020 at the Peoria Civic Center. The ILGOP Site Selection Committee voted unanimously to select Peoria as the host city.

Following today’s vote, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider and ILGOP Co-Chair Mark Shaw issued the following:

ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider

“I am excited to announce Peoria as host city for the 2020 ILGOP State Convention. Myself, the State Central Committee, and precinct committeeman all across Illinois remember the hospitality Peoria showed us three years ago. We look forward to showcasing this beautiful Illinois River city again as Illinois Republicans gather to organize, network, and nominate our delegates to the 2020 Republican National Convention.”

ILGOP Co-Chair & County Chairman’s Association President Mark Shaw

“It has been a joy to work with stakeholders such as Enjoy Peoria, the Peoria Civic Center,  Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette, and the Peoria Republican Central Committee during the bid submission process. Peoria provides the perfect accommodations for an event this size. The Site Selection Committee is confident that Peoria and the Peoria Civic Center will be the perfect place for Republicans throughout the state to come together and organize for 2020.”

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Featuring a new member of the crime ring, a “Magic Lobbyist List”, and two crime ring members calling it quits

A host of Illinois Democrat corruption news has come out since the Illinois Republican Party unveiled its corruption tracker, including new information from federal investigators about our latest addition to the crime ring. Let’s take a look at the updates:

Dorothy Brown Added to Illinois Democrat Crime Ring Tracker

A mainstay on the FBI docket, Dorothy “Clerk A” Brown has been under federal investigation for 6 years. Her corrupt acts have just recently resurfaced in headlines as federal prosecutors stated in a court document that the grand jury testimony of one of Brown’s top aides at the time was so full of lies that it “affected the government’s ability to file charges against Dorothy Brown.” The yet to be filed charges against Brown of course relate to her scheme to accept bribes of $10,000 to $15,000 for jobs, promotions, and raises within her office.

“Dorothy Brown’s long standing corruption and incompetence is unacceptable. The feds inability to file charges because her equally corrupt former aides lied, doesn’t change what we know to be true. We all understand pay-to-play politics, but Dorothy Brown has pioneered a ‘pay-to-work’ scheme that padded her campaign coffers in exchange for handing out taxpayer funded jobs. The Governor, Mayor, and County Board President should be loudly demanding she step down immediately. Where is their leadership?” – ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider 

The Magic Lobbyist List

Recently, more light was shed on one aspect of the Madigan machine, a lobbying conspiracy managed day-to-day by powerful statehouse insider and Mike Madigan’s longtime friend, Mike McClain. The news has been reflected on Madigan’s file on DemCorruption.com.

WBEZ reported that the feds’ deep dive into the statehouse lobbying practices has uncovered a unique lobbyist network of favored insiders. WBEZ obtained an email sent from McClain to a group he dubbed the “Magic Lobbyist List” of former Madigan staffers and allies. McClain made clear it was at his and Madigan’s behest that they made the cut and that they were expected to return the favor by referring lobbying clients to each other and donating to Madigan campaign funds. 

Former Madigan staffers cashed in by becoming favored lobbyists, Madigan’s campaign coffers were padded, and the legislative process from beginning to end was controlled by, you guessed it: Mike Madigan. It’s a classic case of Pay-to-Play politics.

Sandoval Resigns and Cullerton Retiring

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Sandoval submitted his resignation, effective January 1, 2020. The date of his resignation is important as it allowed only a six day special filing period for candidates wishing to serve the remainder of Sandoval’s term. In typical fashion, the only candidate with enough support from the machine and with prior knowledge of the resignation will be able to file the required amount of signatures during the six day filing period. 

Senate President Cullerton is also joining others in scurrying off of the sinking ship, announcing his retirement effective in January 2020. His likely successor has her own ethical problems to face as well. 

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