Lt. Governor Could Become Endangered Species

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Feb 11, 2010 3:40PM

The Cohen Affair continues to show its far-reaching effects. Nevermind that it was just a year ago that Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn got called up to the big leagues to take over for ousted governor Rod Blagojevich. That position could soon become a thing of the past if State House Speaker Michael Madigan gets his way. Madigan introduced a bill yesterday that, if passed, would put the issue on the November election ballot and, if approved, would eliminate the Lt. Gov. position altogether come January 2015. Not that anyone else had a choice, as ABC 7 reports it appears Madigan introduced the bill without consulting anyone else on the subject. Meanwhile, there's currently a bill in the Senate that would require the Lt. Gov. and Governor candidates to run together, a la Presidential elections. Either way, it looks like the latest kerfuffle has finally pushed action on the position even as we await the decision of who the Dems will slate for this November's election.