By Illinois Review
On Sunday, Lemont Mayor John Egofske was sworn in as the new Illinois State Representative for the 82nd District, replacing the vacancy left by former House Republican Minority leader Jim Durkin, who resigned his seat in early January after a string of embarrassing losses during the midterm election.
In a press release on Sunday, Durkin called his friend, whom he supported in a letter to the selection committee, an “outstanding public servant.”
Egofske, who is listed as an Independent on the Illinois State Board of Elections website, endorsed Illinois Democrat US Rep. Daniel Lipinski in the 2020 Primary and Illinois Democratic State Rep. Larry Walsh, Jr. during the 2022 general election.
Members of the selection committee tasked with finding Durkin’s replacement have said privately that Egofske pulled a Democratic Primary ballot in 2020 to vote for Lipinski.
During that same time, grassroots conservative Republican Mike Fricilone was on the 2020 Primary ballot running against two other Republican challengers – but Egofske chose to support the Democrat instead.
Supporters of Egofske point out that Lipinski was a conservative Democrat – an excuse to justify their Republican In Name Only (RINO) leanings.
During Lipinski’s re-election to Congress in 2018, Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed his campaign, and in 2019, she was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives by Lipinski and his fellow Democratic colleagues.
In the 2022 primary election, Egofske endorsed Keith Pekau for Congress, saying,
“I am supporting Keith because of his hard work in growing quality businesses along with his fiscally responsible policies…”
Pekau would lose the general election to Democratic US Rep. Sean Casten by nearly 9 points. In 2020, Republican Jeanne Ives only lost to Casten by 7 points.
In announcing his selection as the new state representative, Egofske said,
“After 27 years in corporate business as a job creator, I look forward to working with anyone, from any party, who shares my goals to lower property taxes, address crime, and keep jobs in Illinois.”
And Egofske has already proven that he can work with anyone, from any party. He’ll also endorse anyone, from any party, too.
Egofske will continue to serve as mayor of Lemont and principal of K and J Builders while serving as state representative.
Many states prohibit elected officials from serving in two elected offices at the same time, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona and Arkansas, for example.
But no surprise – in Illinois, you can serve in two elected positions at the same time, so long as you are not receiving compensation for both. Clearing the way for Egofske to serve as Lemont Mayor, where he doesn’t take a salary, and as a state representative – where he will.
In January, the Illinois House of Representatives passed a budget bill that included a 16 percent pay raise for lawmakers. The salary increase raises their base pay to $85,000 annually, an $11,655 increase.
But that’s not all.
If you are in a majority or minority leadership position, you’ll receive an additional pay increase on top of the 16 percent. Committee chairmen earn an additional $12,000; and the House Speaker, Senate President and minority leaders in both chambers will receive up to an additional $16,000 raise.
Illinois lawmakers remain some of the highest paid in the country.
And while lawmakers may spend more than 80 percent of their time doing legislative work, the position is considered quasi full-time, meaning many lawmakers have other jobs when they are not in session.
It’s clear Mayor-State Rep. Egofske will be busy with three full-time jobs, enjoying the perks of being a mayor and a state legislator at the same time.
And while Illinois residents and small business owners are still struggling to recover financially from the pandemic, their legislators are voting for pay raises. And although House Republicans voted against the measure, they still benefit from the raise – and they’ll see a bigger paycheck in 2023.
In January, before he resigned from the legislature, Durkin was the only Republican to join the Democrats, voting in favor of the assault weapons ban.
And in the last few months, Illinois Review has published several articles about Durkin using his political influence to target conservative grassroots candidates during the Illinois Primary.
Sources also confirmed to Illinois Review that the IL GOP is blaming Durkin for the party’s postage discount abuse, where mailers “Paid for by the Republican Party of Illinois” were sent during the primary to viciously attack conservative Republican grassroots candidates that were challenging Durkin’s friends and political allies.
