While a panel of state legislators acted quickly to pick a replacement for retiring Illinois Auditor General Bill Holland (see article this page), another high-level investigative office in state government has been vacant going on six months. No one has been in charge of the office of the Legislative Inspector General, which investigates allegations of lawbreaking or ethical issues by members of the Illinois General Assembly, since former inspector general Ricardo Meza, now a lawyer in private practice, quit in April. The inspector general’s office suite at the Stratton Building in Springfield is locked, and although the lights are on, no one answers the door or the phone. (The voicemail for the office still lists Bill Roberts as acting legislative inspector general, even though he stepped down in January after his connections to some lawmakers were questioned.) The secretary’s desk is empty, and the only signs of inhabitancy are a few wall hangings apparently left behind when the office was vacated. Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan, says issues that would normally go to the Legislative Inspector General are currently going to the Legislative Ethics Commission, which is normally tasked with holding hearings and taking action on the inspector general’s findings.
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2015.
