Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is putting the kibosh on plans by former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who faces criminal charges, to hold a meeting where he’d help choose his own Springfield replacement.
Madigan on Monday sent letters to the nine Democratic committeemen tasked with voting on Arroyo’s General Assembly replacement, warning that “any involvement by the 36th Ward — whether a direct vote or a vote by proxy would cause the candidate’s qualifications to be challenged by the full Illinois House of Representatives.”
Although Arroyo resigned from the Illinois House on Nov. 1, he is still the 36th Ward Democratic committeeman, despite calls from party leaders for him to also step down from that post.
“As Speaker of the House, I am asking the committeemen responsible for filling the vacancy in the 3rd Representative District to do so without the participation of the 36th Ward,” Madigan wrote.
In a statement to reporters, Madigan said any involvement by Arroyo in choosing his own replacement “would call the legitimacy of the appointment into question.”
Arroyo stepped down as state representative two weeks ago in the face of federal bribery charges. But as the 36th Ward committeeman, Arroyo last week called a meeting of Cook County Democrats “to decide who shall be my replacement.”
Party leaders have asked Arroyo to relinquish his post as committeeman. Instead, the Northwest Side Democrat notified a group of the committeemen he wants a say in who replaces him in Springfield.
Arroyo called for Democratic committeemen who represent voters in the state’s 3rd House District to meet at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at the Alliance of Polish Clubs, 5835 W. Diversey Ave.
“As the democratic committeeman with the greatest number of weighted votes in the 3rd District and the recognized chair of the 3rd Representative District Committee, I am calling a meeting of the democratic committeemen for the purpose of filing the vacancy created by my retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives,” part of the letter reads.
Procedurally, 10 Democratic committeemen whose wards or townships are part of the House district — including Arroyo — were to vote on his General Assembly replacement with a weighted vote. The winner needs 50% plus one to win; that’s 9,892 weighted votes, according to a document provided to the Chicago Sun-Times from the county’s Democratic Party.
In the letter, Arroyo says he’s “inviting any and all potential candidates to submit their credentials for consideration by the committeemen authorized to choose my replacement.”
