DeKalb Times

State Sen. Brian Stewart (R-Dixon) says he can feel Illinois voters’ pain.

“Ever get the feeling the Springfield power brokers have forgotten they are supposed to represent your best interests, not their own,” Stewart said in a post to his website. “We understand your frustration.”

Stewart recently hosted a regional town hall for his constituents at the Elks Lodge in Dixon. Stewart was scheduled to be joined at the event by fellow Republican state Sens. Dave Syverson of Cherry Valley, Sue Rezin of Morris and Win Stoller of Germantown Hills.

“Let your voices be heard at our regional town hall event,” Stewart posted amid reports the three are now crisscrossing the region seeking to gain a better understanding of issues faced by communities and residents of northern Illinois.

“State government works best when members of the General Assembly work together on behalf of all citizens,” he posted. “We look forward to seeing you at our regional town hall event and hearing what you have to say.”

Stewart has also recently spoken out on the issue of ethics reform, spurred by the resignation of Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope. She cited a lack of commitment to reform among lawmakers in Springfield.

“The LIG could not be any clearer in her message for lawmakers,” Stewart told the Illinois Valley Times. 

 “This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority. We had an opportunity to bring about real change and although we took several steps in the right direction, majority legislative leaders made sure that our progress fell far short of the kind of meaningful changes that would go a long way toward restoring Illinoisans’ faith in their government.”

A former judge and prosecutor, Pope described the LIG post as having fallen to the level of being a “paper tiger,” adding in her resignation letter “the LIG has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations.”