CORRUPTION
Convicted ex-Speaker Micheal J. Madigan begins his 7½-year federal prison sentence
The longtime head of the Illinois Democratic Party reported to FPC Morgantown, a minimum-security federal prison camp in northern West Virginia, to begin his 7.5-year federal prison sentence for bribery and racketeering charges.
In response, I released the following statement:
“Today marks another painful chapter in Illinois’ long and troubling history of public corruption. Each scandal chips away at the public’s trust and further erodes confidence in our state government.
“What’s most disappointing is the silence from so many in the majority party, lawmakers either unwilling to condemn this behavior or unwilling to take real action to prevent it from happening again. Their inaction speaks volumes.
“Illinois can’t afford to keep repeating this cycle of scandal and shame. Meaningful ethics reform could be passed tomorrow, if only Democratic leaders would find the courage to join us in restoring integrity and trust in state government.”
VETO SESSION
Democrats play political games rather than focusing on problems facing Illinoisans
The Illinois General Assembly convened last week in Springfield for its fall veto session. Instead of focusing on the serious problems facing Illinoisans, House Democrats chose to play partisan political games.
Last Wednesday, House Democrats introduced and passed a series of sham resolutions that attacked the Trump Administration, law enforcement, and Republicans in general. In the meantime, no substantive action was taken on Chicagoland’s mass transit fiscal cliff, soaring energy prices, or the high cost of living.
After the end of legislative veto session Wednesday in the Illinois House of Representatives, I issued the following statement:
“Today, we witnessed yet another relentless barrage of partisan hypocrisy, filled with finger-pointing at the federal government instead of confronting the many important issues at home. While Illinois families are struggling with soaring costs and growing distrust in their leaders, Illinois Democrats are wasting time and taxpayer dollars to play political games.
“With only four legislative days remaining, Speaker Welch and the House Democrats are negotiating tax hikes and a new green energy giveaway package behind closed doors, while play acting on the House floor to distract from it.
“It’s time to put Illinois first and deliver solutions concerning skyrocketing energy costs, public safety, and to overall relief to the families who need it most.”
Illinois House Republicans urge Democrats to cut political rhetoric
Illinois House Republicans are urging Democrats to reduce political rhetoric and focus on legislative work, following a contentious resolution condemning political violence.
The resolution, which passed along party lines with a 74 to 34 vote, included references to recent immigration enforcement actions in Chicago, which Republicans argued were unnecessarily divisive.
“The purely political talk that we saw yesterday does not make things better for our constituents. It was an effort to divide this House and to keep it divided. We have to figure out a better way to move forward for the people of Illinois. Illinois is not getting better this way. It’s not getting safer,” said Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer.
Republicans expressed concern that the focus on political rhetoric is detracting from addressing key issues such as taxes, energy, and transit, which they believe are more pressing for Illinois residents.
Illinois House GOP argue lawmakers need to lower taxes, cut spending
Republicans are upset the Illinois House left Springfield on Thursday without passing meaningful bills to help taxpayers.
House GOP leaders say they oppose Gov. JB Pritzker’s idea to not follow provisions of President Donald Trump’s budget to help address the state’s $267 million budget deficit.
Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) told reporters that decoupling from tax incentives included in the Big Beautiful Bill will damage and hurt the ability of manufacturers to choose Illinois for investments and expansion.
“Because of the policies that continue to chase Illinoisans away, which are the nickel and dime taxes currently being proposed by the governor and Democrats, we are going to continue to see fewer and fewer people left to hold the burden, paying more, and developing an exit strategy from Illinois,” Keicher said.
Republicans said Illinois needs to make it easier for people to choose to live in the state by reducing their tax burden.
ENERGY
Soaring electricity prices hurting Illinois families
The utility bills paid by Illinoisans soared during the summer of 2025. The monthly bad news coincided with the shutdowns of many Illinois coal mines and coal-burning power plants. Electricity is an essential commodity and suppliers licensed to sell electricity in Illinois were compelled to buy peak-load power supplies through a limited number of interstate grids that sold electricity to Illinois from generating plants located outside this state. In late spring 2025, these grid-based power prices helped to push up prices for all Illinoisans.
As prices soared, Illinois electric utilities and suppliers made vague promises that power customers might enjoy some relief with the cooler days of fall. However, now that fall 2025 is here and many air conditioners have been turned off, power prices remain very high.
Furthermore, Ameren Illinois, a dominant player in the market in many Downstate Illinois locations, asserts that they expect to charge even higher prices in summer 2026 than they billed in summer 2025. The year-over-year price for summertime electricity in the Ameren Illinois service area is expected to go up from 12.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 13.9 cents per kWh.
Here is my response: Families and job creators are feeling the consequences of years of political energy experiments that ignore basic reality. Illinois has gone from being an energy leader to an energy importer—while bills climb higher and reliability slips away. The math is simple: when you shut down coal and natural gas without a plan to replace that lost power, prices go up. We can’t afford policies that put politics before people. It’s time to refocus on reliability, affordability, and common sense—because every Illinois family deserves to keep the lights on without breaking the bank.
In case you missed it, check out the column I wrote about energy solutions here: McCombie Column: Illinois Needs Real Energy Solutions, Not Band-Aids – Tony McCombie.
GAMBLING
Pritzker Wins $1.4 Million in Vegas While Pushing Massive Tax Hikes on Illinoisans
Governor JB Pritzker jetted off to Las Vegas and won $1.4 million playing blackjack. While the governor enjoys winnings out of state, Illinois families are bracing for more tax hikes from Illinois Democrats at the end of this Veto Session.
“The Governor is out of touch with reality,” said State Representative Jeff Keicher. “My mom waited tables to keep a roof over my head. I remember the power being shut off as a kid because we couldn’t afford the bills. This Governor has no basis in reality for what a dollar means to working people. Since he took office, revenues have grown by 40 percent, yet every year he raises taxes and fees. The disconnect is stunning.”
State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer added, “The Governor’s got to be one of the luckiest people on the planet, born into billions, bailed out by COVID money, and now winning $1.4 million in Vegas. That’s not something the average Illinoisan can relate to.”
Under Pritzker, Illinois families have seen a steady stream of tax hikes, including new brackets on sports betting revenues, higher gas taxes, increased vehicle fees, and more. Now, while he celebrates his winnings in Nevada, Illinois taxpayers are left to foot the bill for his next tax increase.
Illinois House Republicans are calling out the hypocrisy of a Governor who leaves the state to collect millions at the blackjack table while working families pay more and more to fund his growing government.
In Illinois, it’s a safe bet Governor Pritzker will raise your taxes.
JOBS
Stellantis announces plan to reopen Belvidere Assembly plant
The Boone County auto assembly complex, historically used to build Chrysler cars and Jeep light trucks, moved over to international auto giant Stellantis with the rest of FiatChrysler in January 2021. Although the complex gets superb logistical support from Interstate 90 and the Union Pacific Railroad, the plants became inactive in February 2023. Since then, Illinois and national interest groups have held talks with Stellantis to get the plant complex re-tooled and returned to operational status.
Stellantis has responded to this push with a stated commitment to reopen the complex, but up until this week the pledges lacked specificity. On Tuesday, October 14, the motor vehicle maker told Illinoisans that as part of their overall $13 billion program to resume industrial investment in the U.S., they now plan to invest $600 million in the Belvidere complex. The re-tooling investment will enable the plant network to begin to product two Jeep SUV models, one of Stellantis’s most profitable offerings. The reopened assembly plant is expected to support 3,300 Illinois jobs.
The Stellantis pledge to engage in factory investment in the U.S. came after Donald Trump and the White House took action to slap large tariffs on international business firms that move large quantities of goods across borders, including imports into the U.S. President Trump has made it clear that some carve-outs from these tariffs will be offered to firms that commit industrial resources and investments to American soil.
SENIORS
Open Enrollment can be a challenge, but IL Department on Aging offers resources
Illinois senior citizens who have enrolled in Medicare are required to re-up their Medicare participation plans during the annual Open Enrollment period. The Open Enrollment Period, which began on October 15, 2025, and extends through December 7, 2025, gives eligible seniors a window of time to compare health offerings and drug plan options and to choose the one that is best for them.
Seniors often have complex prescription plans and significant co-pay requirements. It can be a major effort for seniors to choose the plan that is best for them. The Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) has posted a fact sheet, with links to databases with needed information. IDoA’s Medicare enrollment help centers on the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP), a State program that maintains an information website. SHIP partners with local health departments and Area Agencies on Aging to offer face-to-face counseling and advice to enrollees who make appointments for counseling. A list of local offices that offer SHIP counseling can be found here.
I am hosting a Medicare 101 Seminar on Wednesday – check it out:
