Carbondale Reporter

State Representative Paul Jacobs has emphasized the importance of accountability for elected officials, advocating for stronger anti-corruption laws to deter unethical behavior among politicians. Jacobs articulated this stance in a Facebook post dated December 17.

"Nothing will change in Illinois if we don't hold elected officials accountable," said Jacobs, according to Facebook. "We need to send a message that bad behavior by politicians will not be tolerated by strengthening our anti-corruption laws today."

In his post, Jacobs shared a link to a Yahoo report concerning testimony on December 16 during the corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan. The testimony included statements from Thomas Cullen, a former aide who worked in Madigan’s office in the 1990s before becoming a lobbyist. According to the Yahoo article, Cullen testified that Madigan was exceptionally hardworking and revealed that he had agreed to act as an intermediary for AT&T, paying former State Representative Edward Acevedo $2,500 monthly under what was described as a "do nothing contract."

Screenshot of State Rep. Paul Jacobs' Dec. 17 Facebook post. | State Representative Paul Jacobs' Facebook page

Madigan faced charges of racketeering and bribery in 2022. In response to these developments, Jacobs commented in a WSILTV report: "Speaker Madigan consolidated the most power for the longest period of time of any politician in the history of the State of Illinois. They say power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I believe that is what was revealed by the US Attorney's office upon news of today's indictment." He further said that "corrupt politicians using public office for personal profit is not new in Illinois," highlighting the need for immediate anti-corruption reforms by the Illinois General Assembly.

According to NBC Chicago, Madigan was elected to the Illinois State Legislature in 1970 and served as speaker from 1983 until 2021, with a brief interruption when Republicans controlled the legislature. He resigned as speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party in 2021. Throughout his career, Madigan represented areas near Midway International Airport, southwest of downtown Chicago.

Jacobs began his tenure in the Illinois House of Representatives in 2020. Prior to his political career, he worked as an optometrist and owned Von Jakob Vineyard in Alto Pass. His background also includes service in the US Navy from 1965 to 1971. According to his official biography, Jacobs has four grown children and ten grandchildren.