Saputo’s is a restaurant that sits a few blocks from the Illinois Capitol.
It’s an old red sauce Italian place. You wouldn’t think twice about going there in Chicago. But in Springfield, it’s about as good as you can expect.
When the General Assembly is in session, it serves as the local dining and watering hole for the pols.
Democratic Party House Speaker Mike Madigan has his table. It sits in a corner of the place.
A group of us were a few tables away from his a couple of years ago. We were in Springfield attending a conference.
I ordered the pasta and clam sauce. And watched the show.
Big guys with big pinky rings (no kidding) would walk over to Madigan who was having dinner with his wife. They would lean over to whisper in his ear. An endless parade of pinky rings and whispers. No actual brown paper bags were passed that I could see.
I couldn’t help remembering that scene when reading the Trib this morning.
On a recent Monday night, lobbyists and representatives for a variety of special interest groups traveled to Lake Springfield to pay homage — and campaign contributions — to Illinois’ longest-serving speaker of the House, Michael J. Madigan.
On the 30th anniversary of the Chicago Democrat’s annual Island Bay Yacht Club fundraiser, the power he commands was evidenced by the $109,000 in donations of $1,000 or more that were given that day to the Democratic Majority campaign fund he controls, State Board of Elections records show.
So, if you’re in Springfield and happen to be eating pasta and clam sauce at Saputo’s, don’t even think about going over to Madigan’s table to say hello if you don’t have a thousand dollar check.
That pretty much leaves out the average retired Illinois teacher who gets a pension of $43,000 a year.
Fred Klonsky 