State Rep. (R-Sycamore) Jeff Keicher has expressed alarm over the resignation of Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope.
In a Facebook post, he said, "Democrats continued to block an ethics reform package this spring that would allow the Legislative Inspector General to go where the evidence leads. Instead they passed an ethics revision that didn’t address the issues revealed during multiple indictments and investigations but offered watered down measures that offer good speaking points. Now we have a woman with high integrity and a proven track record who is fed up with the sham LIG system she’s been asked to serve within resigning her position."
In her resignation letter, Pope expressed that she had hoped she could make a difference from the inside. She said, “Unfortunately, I have not been able to do so. This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority. The LIG has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations, the position is essentially a paper tiger.”
Pope wrote that she's been hobbled in conducting her investigations. "If public allegations about a legislator are made, but no complaint is filed with the LIG’s office, the LIG cannot open an investigation,” she wrote. “For the last 12 years, the LIG has been able to open an investigation based on public allegations in the media. But no longer."
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