The night Mike Madigan made time stand still for the Chicago White Sox:
As the White Sox look for up to $1 billion in public money for a new stadium in Chicago's South Loop, some can't help but recall when the Illinois General Assembly said yes to taxpayer funds to build what's now known as Guaranteed Rate Field.
Back in 1988, with Mike Madigan as speaker of the house, Madigan actually stopped the clock to avoid a midnight deadline.
Former State Rep. John Dunn from Decatur was there the night that Madigan and Gov. Jim Thompson secured the votes needed for $200 million in public financing for a new White Sox stadium.
In the heat of the debate on the final night of the 1988 legislative session, Dunn stood up and yelled, "we can’t take care of the children, we can’t take care of the poor, we can’t take care of the sick, we can’t take care of the mentally ill. Let's shut this place down and go home and forget the White Sox."
That midnight deadline was important because after midnight, not just a majority, but a three-fifths vote was needed. Madigan secured the votes needed, but it was at 12:03 a.m.
"I ran right down to the clerk's office and got the roll call," Dunn said.
He saved the copy of that roll call that had a 12:03 a.m. stamp on it. The next day that time stamp disappeared.
Madigan told reporters, "the speaker declared the bill passed at 11:59 p.m." Reporters reminded him, "but it wasn’t 11:59." Madigan said, "yes it was." Gov. Thompson added, "when the Speaker says what time it is, that’s what time it is."
