Jim Dodge said he thinks the Democratic Victory Fund leaders electing to support the re-election efforts of Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) callously sends the message that power matters more than decency.
“It directly goes to why so many people on both sides of the aisle are distrusting of politics and the whole scene in Springfield,” Dodge told the Prairie State Wire. “It goes to the rot of the (House Speaker Mike) Madigan regime and speaks to the loss of civility between those who are supposed to be our leaders.”
The organization’s decision to contribute $55,400 to Silverstein’s campaign comes as the senator continues to be dogged by allegations of sexual harassment.
Jim Dodge
A complaint lodged by longtime local activist Denise Rotheimer became public in October, at a time when the legislative inspector general post in Springfield that handles such investigations had been vacant nearly three years, during which time 27 allegations of harassment reportedly languished uninvestigated.
Julie Porter, who since then has been installed in the post, recently concluded that Silverstein did not commit sexual harassment, but he did violate the section of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act known as the legislative code of conduct. She recommended that he receive counseling from the Senate’s ethics officer.
What some have called a slap on the wrist is apparently enough to put Silverstein back in the good graces of some party leaders.
“The bottom-line is they figure he’s in trouble and this is the response to that,” Dodge, an Orland Park Republican running for state treasurer, said. “It completely sends the wrong message.”
As for his own campaign, Dodge said he’s keeping busy meeting with voters, including a recent trip to the University of Illinois where he met with a college Republican group.
“It was a very productive outing,” he said. “We got to hear a lot of different voices.
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