Peoria Standard

State Representative Ryan Spain emphasized the importance of accountability for elected officials, advocating for stronger anti-corruption laws to convey that misconduct by politicians will not be tolerated. Spain made this statement in a Facebook post dated December 17.

"Nothing will change in Illinois if we don't hold elected officials accountable," said Ryan Michael Spain, 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, Spain shared a link to a Yahoo report concerning testimony on December 16 in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan. The testimony included statements from a former aide about work conducted by former State Representative Edward Acevedo. Thomas Cullen, the former aide, testified last week and on Monday as a witness for the prosecution. Cullen had worked in Madigan’s office during the 1990s before transitioning to lobbying.

Screenshot of State Rep. Ryan Spain's Dec. 17 Facebook post | State Representative Ryan Spain's Facebook page

According to the Yahoo article, Cullen said that Madigan was exceptionally hardworking. He also testified about agreeing to act as an intermediary for AT&T, facilitating payments of $2,500 per month to former Representative Acevedo under what they termed a "do nothing contract."

Spain has consistently provided updates on the trial of former Illinois State House Speaker Michael Madigan. In November, he addressed ethics reform in another update related to the trial. He shared a Capitol News Illinois article from November 14, which highlighted testimony from Fidel Marquez, an executive at Commonwealth Edison who is cooperating with prosecutors in the Madigan case.

The fifth day of Marquez’s testimony centered on his decision to wear a wire for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during its investigation into Madigan and ComEd in 2019. At that time, Marquez was serving as senior vice president for governmental and external affairs at ComEd, overseeing nearly 150 employees and several contract lobbyists, including Mike McClain. McClain is also a co-defendant in Madigan's trial.

Madigan was first elected to the Illinois State Legislature in 1970 and served as speaker from 1983 until 2021, with a two-year interruption when Republicans controlled the legislature. He resigned as speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party in 2021.

Spain has represented Illinois' 73rd House District since 2017. A lifelong resident of Peoria, he holds degrees in political science and speech communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Bradley University. His public service includes serving on the Peoria City Council from 2007 until fall 2016.