State Rep. Kelly Cassidy cried “tears of relief” Thursday when she heard a federal jury had convicted Tim Mapes, the former chief of staff to ex-House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Political consultant Alaina Hampton said she felt encouraged. And former House staffer Sherri Garrett said it made her feel “hopeful” knowing the verdict would make others feel safe to speak out.
“It was just a few minutes of tears of relief,” Cassidy, D-Chicago, said shortly after a jury convicted Mapes of perjury and attempted obstruction of justice. “And really, I still work with people who told us they were afraid to come forward, and they’re heavy in my thoughts right now.”
The three women all went public with independent accusations of harassment, retaliation and cover-up by Madigan and those around him. Although the trial focused on charges that Mapes lied to a grand jury to help block an investigation into Madigan, the women say the verdict will still send a message to other victims.
“I think that this really shows that justice can be accomplished for victims if they’re willing to speak up and speak out,” Hampton said.
Garrett, whose harassment allegations against Mapes led to his ouster in 2018, said in a statement that her experience was “painful,” but “more painful was knowing that there were countless others like me who were too afraid of Mr. Mapes to come forward and speak their own truths.”
“I hope that those individuals feel some relief today, as I know I do,” Garrett said.
Hampton, who had accused a top political aide to Madigan of sexual harassment, said she’s grateful that others got a glimpse of the behavior of Madigan’s closest confidants.
“The rest of the state is able to see what I’ve seen all along,” Hampton said.
Cassidy’s relief comes five years after the North Side lawmaker went public with claims that she was forced to resign from a part-time job as political payback for her criticism of Madigan’s handling of sexual harassment allegations.
Cassidy said the experiences the three shared have helped them forge a bond, and the women “talk all the time, whether somebody’s on trial or not.”
They kept track of the Mapes trial as much as they could, even sharing notes. But some days were harder to listen to than others.
“Each one of us had days where we really couldn’t take any more in from it,” Cassidy said. “Sometimes it was just really just kind of being there for ‘what happened today?’ I just couldn’t pay attention. I couldn’t let it in. So it’s that bond that we formed. It remains unchanged.”
