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* UPDATED x1 * Mapes responds to Hickey report: “It is my position that the recent criticisms made against me do not truly appreciate the size of the responsibility of my position”

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* Background is here. Press release…

STATEMENT OF TIMOTHY MAPES IN RESPONSE TO INDEPENDENT REVIEW:
“INVESTIGATIONS, ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING WORKPLACE CULTURE” IN SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

For over forty years, I had the privilege of serving in the Illinois State Legislature, with twenty-five of those years as Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. And, as Maggie Hickey’s 200-page report details, during that tenure, any problems regarding the workplace, including personnel issues, fell on me in my role as Chief of Staff and Clerk of the House of Representatives. Indeed, as the report goes on to say, all “important decisions” regarding confidential personnel matters were left “to the discretion of one person, the Chief of Staff.” That was me.

It is my position that the recent criticisms made against me do not truly appreciate the size of the responsibility of my position. The daily needs of my position required constant attention in order to ensure the successful operation of our government. I made every effort to satisfy these demands.

Over these forty years, I have served the people of the State of Illinois through hard work, dedication and with great dignity. I have always placed the needs of good government above all other concerns and I always did my best to ensure that these needs were addressed with a sense of urgency. I had many responsibilities that I took on in order to make the Speaker’s Office more efficient and effective. If my demeanor or approach to my job did not instill trust and a healthy work environment, I apologize. I truly did my best, no matter the shortcomings that are now ascribed to me, and I always acted in good faith and for the benefit of the people of the State of Illinois.

Obviously, many changes have taken place in our state over the last quarter of a century. At the same time, as the report acknowledges, “many positions in the Speaker’s Office have been filled by the same people for many years.” With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps, a more formalized process could have been put in place. I am heartened that steps are being taken toward this end. In the end, greater transparency and a broader approach to accountability hopefully will lead to a stronger work environment for which all the people of the State will benefit.

Timothy Mapes is represented by Clifford Law Offices in Chicago.

Dude deliberately accumulated every bit of power that he could over the years and then uses that to justify his behavior.

As if, Tim.

Also, Clifford isn’t generally known for being a “defense” firm. They’re “offense” pretty much all the way. Makes you wonder.

*** UPDATE *** I asked Rep. Kelly Cassidy for a response…

Solving the deep-seated problems of sexism and sexual harassment in Springfield didn’t begin or end with Mr. Mapes, he’s just the most recent and most egregious example. His apparent unwillingness to take responsibility or acknowledge the harm he has caused should be all the evidence we need to know that he and men like him have no place in our workplaces. As the report repeatedly states, his behavior was well known and widely accepted by people in power as just the way things were. Mr. Mapes’ attempts to justify his actions (without denying them) because he was so busy but him having three of the most powerful jobs in the state of Illinois didn’t happen by accident and is a symptom of the larger problem, not an excuse for bad behavior.

The recommendations of Maggie Hickey’s report must be fully implemented. We must vigilantly avoid the kind of entrenchment and complacency that got us into this situation in the first place. The victims of Mr. Mapes deserve more than lip service. They need to see meaningful change that lasts.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 1:46 pm

Comments

This is a fissure in the fault?

Comment by Dotnonymous Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 1:50 pm
“Noted”

Comment by Downstate Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 1:52 pm
Rich, you can shut down comments now. Downstate nailed it.

Comment by Ferris Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 1:54 pm
“Look, I know everyone says I’m a colossal jerk, the absolute worst to work with, but in my defense, my job was hard” is…something

Comment by In 630 Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 1:55 pm
“I was powerful and effective until I wasn’t either”

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 1:59 pm
You can’t manage via bad cop/badder cop unless someone is willing to fill the latter role and while it’s easy to get distracted by how tone deaf this statement is it’s still worth, ahem, “noting” that the Speaker wanted Mapes filling the badder cop role and he delivered.

Comment by The Captain Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:02 pm
Mapes’ statement couldn’t have been written better to support the findings of the report.

Good soldier to the end

Comment by ILPundit Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:02 pm
Public servant, all for the taxpayers, yada, yada.

Dude, you got paid really, really well.

Comment by Pick a Name Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:06 pm
Agreed. Downstate got it already. No need for further commentary.

Comment by Not Really Suprising Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:08 pm
So in a sense, Tim agrees with the basics of my comment on the report: “absolute power, corrupts absolutely.”

He wasn’t going to change many minds, so I believe it would have been best to have limited the statement to:

If my demeanor or approach to my job did not instill trust and a healthy work environment, I apologize. I truly did my best, no matter the shortcomings that are now ascribed to me, and I always acted in good faith and for the benefit of the people of the State of Illinois.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:09 pm
tge House of Representatives is not a business nor is it a government office it is where 118 elected individuals gather to conduct government business. Each of those 118 are hired and fired by their constituents. To say there was a failure to establish adequate safe guards for employees in not actually accurate. Instead of the actions this report seeks each member should have a stipend to have issues/ research staff.

Tim’s role as clerk of the house does not apply to the above

Comment by thank you Tim Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:12 pm
He probably should have said nothing. It would have been more effective.

Comment by So_Ill Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:13 pm
Mapes is represented by Clifford Law Offices.

Now that the Hickey report is out of the way, Mapes can file his lawsuit alleging that he slipped and fell on the house floor because someone spilled their food.

Comment by Henry Francis Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:18 pm
oh I get all the insider lingo and no need to say more stuff. but you know what? there’s a big need to say more. To change things. to make sure people know what happened. to make those mistreated feel less awful. even if you were around Mapes for a teeny bit, you disagree with him in any way, and it’s like the place turns to ice blocks. and then he sends Madigan to talk to you. I can only imagine what it was like for someone who actually worked for him. go back under your rock.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:20 pm
In response to Hickey’s report Tim Mapes issued a brief statement…”Don’t you know who I am?”

Comment by Boone's is Back Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:24 pm
The very definition of insincere is the apology that begins like this and ends like this.

==If my…..I apologize.==

It really doesn’t even matter what’s in the middle.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:25 pm
==do not truly appreciate the size of the responsibility of my position.==

Nor the size of your ego. U bum

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:28 pm
madigan’s old henchman is describing his actions as in the spirit of “good government.” yes, that’s right. he actually wrote that down.

Comment by dying HDO Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:31 pm
===To say there was a failure to establish adequate safe guards for employees in not actually accurate===

lol

That you, Timmeh?

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:34 pm
Mapes was accused of truly creepy behavior by Sherri Garrett, an account technician in Madigan’s office. MJM threw Mapes under the bus via a same day “termination” in and attempt to put lid on this issues. Nothing really has changed in his office. It is loyalty above all as long as he can control the damage; harassment is the one exception.

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:34 pm
As everyone knows in the Democratic party of Illinois, the buck does not stop at the Chief of Staff’s desk, it stops at the Speaker’s.

How convenient the report pins the blame on someone no longer in state government, who is now represented by one of the most prominent personal injury law firms in America.

Where is the “personal injury” to Mr. Mapes?

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:34 pm
Go away, Mapes. For your own good.

Comment by Token Conservative Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:38 pm
Nice try, Timmy. Better luck next time.

Comment by Get it Solved Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:40 pm
Tim Mapes worked for the Illinois House for forty years. At the end, he became responsible for its culture. But in the beginning, he was a product of its culture.

Hickey’s report was overall very good, I think one thing it failed to note is that for many coming into the Illinois House and particularly positions of authority, they are coming straight from college or law school and the State Capitol is the only workplace they have ever known. It is hard to realize how abnormal or toxic a work place culture is if it is the only culture you have ever known. Also, those who came to work there decades ago may perceive big improvements even though the overall environment is unacceptable.

I thought probably the most remarkable recommendation from the report is that The Speaker become more engaged in the administration of his office. It’s frankly bizarre that recommendation would have to be made to any legislative leader or constitutional officer.

Madigan is a powerful figure, with a strong moral compass. But his isolation from even his own staff means that the role of defining and modeling appropriate workplace behavior/culture was left up to Mapes.

Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:45 pm
Cliff Notes version of his statement.

“Yea, I did it. So what?”

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:48 pm
Amalia - your point is well taken. But as someone who worked for him myself for more than 5 years (perhaps you did as well, no idea), it was meant to give him the same consideration for his concerns/complaints as he gave many of ours… it was intended to be a bit tongue in cheek but at his expense, not the complainants. There is much to be said, sure - we just don’t need to waste too much time on his defensive and unhelpful response to the actual issues/findings.

Comment by Not Really Surprising Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:49 pm
Tim, you never served IN the legislature. You worked FOR the legislature. If this is what Tim issued, after being vetted by his legal counsel, I would dearly love to see his first and second drafts.

Comment by Langhorne Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 2:52 pm
I worked for the Speaker when Gary Lapalle was Chief of Staff, then came Timmy and the entire staff had to put up with his childish, vindictive and disrespectful behavior toward the staff. For those reasons I had to leave, so a State Rep. hired me and Timmy called the State Rep. (who was in Leadership) and told him to fire me. The Rep hung up the phone before Timmy said anything else. Good riddance, Timmy!

Comment by A withness Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 3:03 pm
-Langhorne-

I’ve seen the first draft. It’s basically Jack Nicholson’s monologue from a Few Good Men.

“I have a greater responsibility that you can possibly fathom…You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall! We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something, you use them as a punchline.”

This is the toned down version.

Comment by Jimmy87 Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 3:04 pm
Seems to me that the more responsibility you have, the more it is incumbent upon you to make sure that people’s concerns are heard and acted upon, and that they are treated fairly.

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 3:14 pm
Mr. Mapes,
I think you need to do some serious soul searching. MJM doesn’t toss loyal foot soldiers over the bow very easily (see: Frank Mautino)
Hence, your actions were so egregious or your personality so toxic that MJM realized he had to sacrifice you. Neither option is pleasant for you to consider. But your ability to move on begins with your recognition of reality.

Comment by Downstate Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 3:26 pm
==Timothy Mapes is represented by Clifford Law Offices in Chicago.==

Proof-of-concept for Lightfoot’s high-end service tax.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 3:28 pm
Tim, dude, you seemed to love being known as a total a##@&?e for years, why such sensitivity now?

Comment by Excitable Boy Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 3:42 pm
Oh, the humility…

Comment by Wensicia Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:00 pm
Tim is a misunderstood idealist.

Comment by Steve Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:04 pm
Rep. Cassidy, the allegations work both ways.

Not just against men. There are many toxic women in the capital that are horrid bullies.

Comment by Both ways Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:05 pm
Kelly Cassidy NAILS it.

The likeleyhood that Timmy Mapes drives a Hummer has to be like 100% . . . right?

Comment by All In Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:14 pm
Considering that the average Illinoisan has no idea who Tim Mapes is, or the oversize influence he wielded, he sure left a negative mark on many people’s lives within the halls of government and thereby ultimately also onto the electorate.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:14 pm
@NotReallySurprising, no, I did not work for him. And if his nasty behavior, to supporters, financial backers and citizen lobbyists was meant to be humorous, sure looked just plain nasty to all of us.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:36 pm
Someone please tell Mr. Mapes to not make any more statements. For his own good.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:54 pm
Wait until the discussion pivots back to Tim Mapes’ pension.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 4:54 pm
well, since there is another Matrix flick, perhaps there is still need for revolution. like here.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 5:07 pm
Grading on a curve, it’s not as bad an apology as critics contend.

He does take responsibility in the very first paragraph.

Later on, the dreaded “if” rears it’s ugly head, so it’s two steps forward, one step back.

Mapes want to communicate that he did a lot in forty years, none of which his critics recognize. I get dedicating your entire life to something and wanting reassurance that the time away from your family, your kids, the stress…that something made it all worth it.

This report maybe was Mapes’ last chance to make a public statement about his career, and it was probably best left unsaid. Those who see the good Mapes did don’t need reminding, and for those that only see the bad it’s way too raw to change minds and counter-productive.

Sherri Garrett comes across as the most graceful, thoughtful and authentic of the lot.

Comment by Sorry Is the Hardest Word Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 5:21 pm
poor, poor Mapes. All those years of consolidating power and making people’s lives miserable, now he has a big fat pension.

Did any ComEd lobbyists send him some extra walking around money?

Comment by Just Me Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 6:10 pm
City Zen sure nailed that one through the uprights.

Comment by Charlie Brown Tuesday, Aug 20, 19 @ 9:11 pm
Mr. Mapes consistently showed little respect toward elected public officials, which he was never. He was vindictive and childish toward staff, Reps and even constituents….let’s not allow him to unravel true karma with goofy statements- this is what should have happened a long time ago..enjoy the fruits of your 40 years Timmy

Comment by Elliott Ness Wednesday, Aug 21, 19 @ 8:03 am
My response to below: I don’t know Rich it may be just me but I find the whole statement a bit offensive.

They’re “offense” pretty much all the way. Makes you wonder.

Comment by R A T Wednesday, Aug 21, 19 @ 8:32 am