PEORIA MAGAZINE June 2022

Peoria Magazine (PM) : Your timing could hardly have been better for the publication of “The House That Madigan Built,” coinciding as it did with the indictment of the former Speaker. What prompted you to write this book, and what did you think you could add to the public’s understanding of one of the most exhaustively covered – and most polarizing – political figures in Illinois history? Ray Long (RL) : I wish I could take credit for the great timing, but I’m not clairvoyant. For years, I thought Michael Madigan would be worthy of a book because of his longtime impact and overarching reach. The University of Illinois Press reached out to me on June 11, 2018. Daniel Nasset, who is now editor-in-chief, asked for an even handed biography about Madigan. As soon as I could clear it with my bosses, I said “yes.” The timing just happened. In fact, I was disappointed the book didn’t come out before Thanksgiving (2021), but the pandemic and all of the accompanying supply chain problems pushed the publication date toMarch (2022), which turned out to come right around his indictment. I didn’t want to do a biography packed withfluffy details, such aswhat cereal he ate for breakfast when he was growing up. I sought to pull together the big moments that shaped his legacy as a public figure, in a way that was readable, approachable and understandable to folks whomay or may not havewatched him over the years. When I started, I expected he still would be the speaker when the book came out. Little did I know that I would be writing about his downfall — and exposing inmy Chicago Tribune stories and chronicling in this book some of the shortcomings of his vaunted political organization along the way. I was among the reporters who documented a series of events that led to the end of his reign, ranging from the #MeToo scandals by misbehaving aides to the federal investigation that labeled him Public Official A and sparked a rank and-file rebellion. It was a privilege to get the opportunity to pass along the

observations of a reporter who covered what I still believe is the “Greatest Beat on Planet Earth,” where two governors went to prison, a state senator moved quickly to the White House, and the nation’s longest-serving House speaker fell from power. PM : Mike Madigan avoided most press interviews, so I presume he did not cooperate with you in the writing of this book. How did that influence your approach? Were you able to speak with people close to him, or did they tighten ranks, as well? RL : I asked for a Madigan interview and didn’t get it, but I had covered the General Assembly for over a quarter of a century full time and parachuted in to help out in almost every other year I wasn’t based in Springfield. I had plenty of quotes fromhim over the years from my reporting and that of others. Would it have been great to hear him answer questions? Absolutely. But I didn’t expect cooperation, especially when he was trying to salvage his speakership. I received cooperation from folks I will not identify because they don’t want to be identified. PM : You have coveredMadigan formore than four decades. How would you characterize your relationshipwith him? RL : I had a professional relationship with Speaker Madigan. He had a spokesman, Steve Brown, who handled many of the day-to-day questions. The speaker sometimes took questions himself, sometimes not, depending on whether he wanted to say something. Those opportunities usually came after committee hearings, House sessions or budget summits. He occasionally held press conferences or provided written statements. A few of us got sit-down interviews over the years, but those opportunities became fewer over time. He could be approachable if you timed it right, but he mostly kept

his thoughts to himself unless he saw taking questions from reporters as a necessity or helpful to his cause. PM : Did you learn anything about him in your research that you did not know before, or that altered your understanding of him? RL : There aremany, many, many stories to tell about Michael Madigan. The hardest part of writing the book was deciding what to leave out. What I tried to do is offer key moments that give readers a chance to see a fuller picture of Madigan rather than howhe has been caricatured as simply good or bad based on a person’s ideology or political party. PM : Madigan always seemed like such an enigma tome. What made andmakes him tick, in your view? RL : Madigan wanted House Democrats to hold themajority, empowering him to control the process, decide the issues that passed and failed, and help the people who helped him. PM : The lack of independence from some local legislators – their inability to break with the Speaker on some very significant issues — could be a source of great frustration in some corners of the voting public. How did one person manage to exert such control over his members and over the entire apparatus of state government? RL : Michael Madigan learned how to control the levers of state government and the levers of politics. He knew how to make them work together to help enhance his power. He kept focused on how to keep the House majority and hold the speakership. Frequently outworking and outmaneuvering his political opponents, he knew how to win, and he did over and over. Madigan capitalized on the notion that all legislation went through the House, and he had the influence, ability

‘STATE GOVERNMENT IS IN MUCH WORSE FISCAL SHAPE… THERE IS PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND’

JUNE 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 71