CHICAGO - Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady called on the Illinois General Assembly to take back the six-figure pension that Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s former aide, Gail Purkey, received for lobbying work for one of Madigan's largest campaign contributors, the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
"By creating a pension loophole for a former aide who also served as a lobbyist for one of his largest campaign contributors, Mike Madigan has made a mockery of our state's pension system," said Brady.
"Gail Purkey worked for Illinois taxpayers as a state employee for less than seven years yet Madigan sponsored a pension loophole that allows her to get pension credits for her years working for a private organization that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Madigan over the years," said Brady.
"This is an insult to every taxpayer and to every state trooper, prison guard, social worker, and all other hard-working, honest state employees," said Brady.
"Like they did with the last pension funding scheme, the General Assembly needs to immediately take back this undeserved state pension," said Brady. "And more importantly, it's time we fire Mike Madigan as Speaker of the House this November."