North Cook News

Jim Dodge, an Orland Park village trustee who is running for state treasurer, is rejecting all the talk about state Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) aligning himself with Democrats in an effort to be re-elected, and he is aggressively pushing the idea that House Speaker Mike Madigan’s (D-Chicago) time in power should be up.

“The biggest issue I see with Illinois is Madigan,” Dodge told the North Cook News. “In no uncertain terms the state of the state is directly attributable to what the speaker has been able to get passed into law through a compliant majority in the legislature entirely dependent on him for their political careers.”

As for Durkin, rumors about him possibly being aligned with Madigan have swelled ever since the majority of his leadership team banded with Democrats to pass the record-setting 32 percent tax hike as part of the recently enacted state budget.

And then there is the financial support Durkin is reported to have recently received from powerful Chicago Alderman Ed Burke. In recent times, Burke’s Burnham Committee has been known to also make contributions to such powerful Democratic leaders as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), Democrat Cook County Board of Review Member Michael Cabonargi, Democrat Cook County Commissioner, top Madigan aide Ed Moody and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Dodge, a Republican who will most likely face off against Democratic incumbent Michael Frerichs in the general election, points the finger at Madigan as the root cause for everything that now rates as suspect in Springfield.

“That is a shame (that) it hurts the very people the Democrats say they are helping and it's simply no longer acceptable,” he said. “The people of Illinois know the source of the problem – Madigan’s control – and the solution – elect more Republicans to give Illinois a fighting chance at a better future.”

Dodge previously told the North Cook News he’s convinced the 2018 elections mark a pivotal time for the state.

“Do you want our state, our families, to have a better future, the future we deserve?” he said. “Or do you want to be led down the path to financial ruin by Madigan and his control over the legislature.”

Dodge said his combination of private business experience and elected public service is just what Illinois needs right now to dig itself from the world of financial ruin.

“The data is clear: Illinois is losing out to other states, we have a horrible public pension funding crisis, tax increases that never stop and never solve the problem, and a bleak outlook,” he said. “The bond rating agencies have us just above junk status. Property taxes will continue to rise because of the structural burden put on local government by bad decisions in Springfield.”