During the “ComEd Four” trial on Wednesday in federal court at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, jurors heard testimony how Michael Madigan, longtime Illinois House Speaker, sought to put “allies” into positions, according to published reports.
Former state Rep. Lisa Dugan’s name surfaced in testimony. Dugan, a Democrat from Bradley, served from 2003-13 in the legislature.
The trial is on four former political players charged with conspiring to bribe Madigan. On trial are Michael McClain, longtime Madigan associate and confidant and former ComEd lobbyist; former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore; ex-ComEd executive and lobbyist John Hooker; and former ComEd contract lobbyist and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty.
According to published reports, they are accused of arranging for jobs, contracts and money for Madigan allies in an illegal bid to sway Madigan as legislation crucial to ComEd moved through Springfield.
In testimony Wednesday, emails showed McClain asked Pramaggiore if she would take a recommendation from a “Friend of Ours,” [meaning Madigan] for a ComEd appointment created by state statute, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune.
Eventually, Pramaggiore used her appointment power to put Dugan on the Clean Energy Foundation, a move that favored Madigan’s recommendation and came with a stipend, according to the story. The amount of the stipend wasn’t mentioned.
Dugan voted for the 67% income tax increase in early 2011 that was “championed” by Madigan during a lame-duck session.
A voicemail was left for Dugan on Friday, seeking comment on the story. As of press time, the call wasn’t returned.
The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation was established in December 1999 with a $225 million endowment provided by ComEd, according to its website. Its mission is to improve energy efficiency, advance the development and use of renewable energy resources, and protect natural areas and wildlife habitat in communities across Illinois.
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees consists of six voting members, who serve five-year terms. Trustees are appointed one each by the governor, the speaker and the minority leader of the State House, the president and the minority leader of the State Senate, and ComEd.
Dugan decided not to run for re-election as state representative in the fall of 2012.
In November of 2018, Dugan ran for the 79th House District against then-incumbent Republican Lindsay Parkhurst, of Kankakee. In the hotly contested race, Parkhurst won, garnering 56% of the vote.
During the campaign, Parkhurst pointed out that Dugan voted four times for Madigan as house speaker. When Dugan announced her candidacy, the Republican Party accused her of being incapable of standing up to Madigan.
Dugan told the Daily Journal at the time that Madigan wasn’t a factor in her decision to return to politics.
“I guess Mike Madigan intimidates Gov. Rauner and Lindsay Parkhurst,” she said at the time. “He doesn’t intimidate me and never will.”
During the campaign, Dugan’s coffers received well more than $100,000 from the Madigan-led state Democratic Party.
Also part of the widespread legal fight against past corruption, Madigan is set to go to trial on {span}racketeering {/span}charges on April 1, 2024, at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.