Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Silly farce is shaming our state/Blagojevich sues Madigan - Speaker's aide calls filing 'a farce'

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Silly farce is shaming our state
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
August 29, 2007


Just when we thought state government couldn't get any more dysfunctional, along comes the farcical lawsuit that Gov. Blagojevich filed against his nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan. As Sen. Dick Durbin told us Tuesday, the situation between Democratic leaders in Springfield has "clearly reached the point where it's an embarrassment."
Blagojevich sued Madigan last week because Madigan didn't convene special sessions when the governor ordered him to and then started to ignore the sessions entirely. We might agree that Madigan was being irresponsible -- if the governor wasn't abusing his power to call the meetings. They should be used in the case of genuine emergencies, when the Legislature isn't already in session. They shouldn't be used for showboating, or to harass lawmakers, or as a replacement for working with legislative leaders.

That's what Blagojevich has used them for. He's called 16 special sessions on this or that issue so far this year, one less than 2004, when he also was engaged in a battle with lawmakers over the budget. He accounts for nearly half of the 67 special sessions called by governors since the state's 1970 Constitution was adopted.

That constitution gives him the authority to call for the special meetings to discuss a specific topic, but it doesn't clearly say the governor may set the date and time. It would probably be a good thing to settle that issue. But that will do nothing to settle the underlying problem -- that Blagojevich was ordering lawmakers to show up when there was nothing for them to do, often on weekends. For instance, he called a special session to address CTA funding on August 13. He offered no bill of his own, but he did threaten to veto the only realistic proposal on the table, an increase in the regional mass transit sales tax.

This is not a constitutional crisis, as the governor claims. It's a crisis of our leadership, and no court in the world can sort that out.


Blagojevich sues Madigan - SPECIAL SESSIONS | Speaker's aide calls filing 'a farce'
BY WHITNEY WOODWARD Sun-Times Springfield Bureau wwoodward@suntimes.com
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-times
August 28, 2007

SPRINGFIELD -- Taking his disdain of House Speaker Michael Madigan to a new arena, Gov. Blagojevich is suing the top House Democrat over who has the power to schedule when lawmakers meet in Springfield.
The lawsuit, quietly filed by Blagojevich's office Friday but announced Monday, claims that the governor's power to call special legislative sessions is being "eviscerated" by Madigan, who repeatedly ignored the times set by Blagojevich and encouraged members to stay home.

A top aide to Madigan ridiculed the filing and said the speaker's office will file a motion to dismiss the suit.

The state constitution gives the governor the authority to call the General Assembly into special legislative session to discuss a specific topic, but is silent on the issue of timing.

The Sangamon County lawsuit asks for a declaration that the speaker cannot disregard the dates and times a governor sets.

"Under Madigan's interpretation of the constitution and the Special Sessions Act, in theory, Madigan would possess the unilateral authority to wait 10 years, if he so chooses, to convene a special session proclaimed by the governor for tomorrow," the lawsuit states.

The House and the Senate did not conduct any substantial business during the 16 special sessions Blagojevich ordered this summer.

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown derided Blagojevich for exploiting the purpose of the original intent of special sessions: to deal with emergencies. Brown noted that the House had met every day -- although not necessarily at the specific time -- that Blagojevich had ordered.

"He's making a farce of the special session process," Brown said.