Prairie State Wire

Ted Dabrowski isn’t quite ready to herald the fall of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan just yet.

“Nobody knows for sure,” the Wirepoints president told Chicago City Wire, “Madigan has proven time and time again that he can withstand lots of pressure and allegations. We’ll just have to wait and see what kind of deals he’s able to negotiate to try to keep himself in power.”

With as many as 18 democratic lawmakers now insisting they have no intentions supporting his reelection efforts and with the state’s longest tenured lawmaker finding himself at the center of a still unfolding federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme where all the perks were allegedly steered to him, the stakes have never been higher.

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan | Stock Photo

More recently, four individuals with close ties to Madigan were indicted in connection with the scheme, including longtime pal and local lobbyist Michael McClain, who counts bribery among the charges he faces.

Still, Dabrowski will have to see Madigan’s ouster to actually believe it.

“Illinois legislators have proven time and time again that they will negotiate anything...I know all the these democrats have said they won’t vote for him but you almost have to see it to believe it," said Dabrowski.

Dabrowski also warns just showing Madigan the door won’t be enough to magically erase all Springfield’s many problems and bring about the level of reform that is needed.

“I think it may help us deal with some of the things we’ve long needed to just because we can’t kick the can down the road any further,” said Dabrowski, “But just because Mike Madigan is out of way doesn’t necessarily change everything. The system and infrastructure he’s built over the last 30 years is very well oiled and there are those just waiting to the same control he had.”