Madigan Chief Of Staff Ruled By Fear For Over 25 Years: Report

SPRINGFIELD, IL — After a yearlong investigation and more than 100 interviews, a report into harassment and intimidation in the office of Speaker Mike Madigan and the Illinois House Democratic caucus released Tuesday found people across the Capitol reported witnessing or experiencing inappropriate conduct, including inappropriate sexual comment and unwelcome sexual advances.

Former state Inspector General Maggie Hickey, the author of the 201-page report, was hired in June 2018 to conduct an independent investigation into three allegations, as well as the overall culture in the speaker's office and its response to harassment claims.

Of the three specific allegations, the report found insufficient evidence to support two of them — Rep. Kelly Cassidy's claim Madigan and his top deputies retaliated against her for criticizing his office's handling of harassment claims and activist Maryann Loncar's allegations that former Rep. Lou Lang made unwanted sexual advances and bullied her.

However, Hickey said the investigation found enough evidence to establish that Tim Mapes, formerly Madigan's chief of staff, the clerk of the House and the executive director of the Illinois Democratic Party, made several inappropriate comments to Sherri Garret, a minutes clerk and account technician in the speaker's office. She went public with her allegations at a June 6, 2018, press conference, and within hours, Mapes resigned to collect a pension of more than $125,000.

Most workers who spoke with investigators said they had had few, if any, direct interactions with Madigan, although many spoke highly of him and said they were proud to work for his office, according to the report. Most interactions with top leadership went through Mapes, and most people interviewed said they would not have reported misconduct to him for fear of retaliation due to his tyrannical leadership style.

"In fact, most of the people interviewed—regardless of their views of Mr. Mapes — agreed that Mr. Mapes commonly threatened people's jobs or reminded them that they were dispensable. People believed that Mr. Mapes attempted to motivate workers through fear and that a few other supervisors throughout the years emulated this practice," Hickey said. "Some people also raised the additional concern that, given Mr. Mapes's political ties, he could make or break their careers outside of the Speaker's Office as well."

Many workers feared that Mapes would fire them without notice or cause, threatening their jobs anytime they made a mistake and regularly reminding them they were at-will employees and could easily be replaced, according to the report.

"The number of independently verified instances of Mr. Mapes's derogatory behavior was overwhelming," the report said.

"Most people believed that Mr. Mapes was efficient at getting things done. This appearance of efficiency was, at least in part, a product of the fear he engendered. But this fear was ultimately inefficient," according to the report. Workers were unable to effectively raise concerns through their supervisors, since they would have to go through Mapes, who they figured would not take them seriously.

Garrett, the longtime staffer in the speaker's office whose June 6, 2018, press conference triggered Mapes' departure, described several such instances to investigators.

Sometime after August 2015, a former legislative assistant expressed concerns about possible unwanted sexual advances from a representative, who she suspected had invited her to a fundraiser that "seemed unlikely to be real" in an attempt to get her alone. That same representative, not named in Hickey's report, would often approach the assistant's desk and say, "It's shoe time," before asking her to show him her shoes. Garrett said when she explained the situation to Mapes he asked her if she was "jealous because he didn't ask you to go to the party?"

In an earlier incident, Garrett said then-Rep. Kenneth Dunkin had told her and another woman working on the House floor something to the effect of, "I want to take you both home and see which one of you would be the naughtiest." Several witnesses recalled being told about the incident at the time, the report said. After that, senior Madigan staff attempted to limit Dunkin's contact with female employees, but Garrett believed it was only the intervention of her husband with the speaker's office that led to any action being taken.

While people from across the Capitol described inappropriate sexual conduct, workers said they were more concerned with bullying than sexual misconduct.

"By far the most consistent criticism from Speaker's Office workers was bullying. Some people expressed that bullying issues were inevitable given the long hours and sometimes tense environment that exists in a legislature," the report found. "Others said that many issues arise from people becoming overly familiar after working closely for long hours and that conduct unlikely to happen during a normal working day can sometimes occur after a much longer workday."

Legislative assistants were especially vulnerable to bullying from representatives. Some asked their staff to "do things like vacuum their apartments, help sell their houses, check on members of their family, drive them around, and run other errands." There was also an unspoken pressure to volunteer, and many workers described a "hazing-like experience" and intimidation from superiors and members of the public. Multiple workers describing being physically intimidated by perceived superiors, who would yell in people's faces, grab them or push them.

READ FULL REPORT: Investigations, Analysis & Recommendations Regarding Workplace Culture

In a statement accompanying the release of the report, Madigan said his office had already implemented many changes since hiring Hickey and would take additional steps to address concerns in the report and her recommendations.

"The report reaffirms much of what we have heard in the past, and I take responsibility for not doing enough to prevent these issues in my office. For nearly two years I have actively worked with members and staff to change the culture of the Capitol, but I recognize there is still more to do," Madigan said. "I believe that we, collectively, need to work together to progress our workplace culture. It's not enough to simply pass legislation or attend training sessions. All four caucuses must work together if we are going to successfully effectuate real and lasting change."

A joint statement from nine female Democratic state representatives said the report, while difficult to read, strengthened their commitment to making the Capitol a more professional and respectful work environment.

"Though much of the press attention has focused on the Office of the Speaker and members of the House Democratic Caucus, the issues with the workplace culture go beyond any one individual, any one caucus or any one party," it said. "Moreover, the challenges we face are not unlike the challenges our colleagues in other states are facing, or in workplaces and institutions throughout the country — from academia to the hospitality industry to manufacturing to the corporate world and beyond."

The statement cited several examples of improvements to workplace culture over the past two years, including the creation of a human resources department, hiring an equal employment opportunity officer, enhancing anti-harassment training, convening a bipartisan sexual discrimination and harassment task force, making sure staff understand how to report complaints and passing Senate Bill 75, the Workplace Transparency Act.

Mapes issued a statement through his attorneys, saying he did his best to always serve with dedication and dignity and valued good government above all else. He apologized if his demeanor or approach led to mistrust and an unhealthy work environment.

"It is my position that the recent criticisms made against me do not truly appreciate the size of the responsibility of my position," Mapes said. "The daily needs of my position required constant attention in order to ensure the successful operation of our government. I made every effort to satisfy these demands."

Earlier:

• Madigan Sexual Harassment Investigation Could Cost $1.38 Million
• Madigan Chief Of Staff Forced Out Following Harassment Claims
• Mike Madigan Fires Longtime Staffer Over 'Unwanted Advances'
• 2nd Senior Madigan Aide Out Over Alleged 'Inappropriate Behavior'
• Harassment Allegations Against Rep. Lou Lang Dismissed
• Inspector General Finds Senior Democrat Violated State Ethics Law With 'Flirtatious' Behavior