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The General Assembly’s watchdog has determined that Democratic state Sen. Ira Silverstein did not engage in sexual harassment while working with a victims rights advocate to pass a bill, but “did behave in a manner unbecoming of a legislator.”

In a detailed report canada goose outlet mississauga released Thursday, Special Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter said her investigation found that Silverstein canada goose outlet legit and Denise Rotheimer “regarded each other as friends, sought each other’s approval and continued buy canada goose uk attention, and developed a more than just professional relationship.”

Porter recommended that Silverstein receive ethics counseling, noting that state law “imposes no penalties canada goose outlet online uk on legislators for violating the code of conduct” set forth in the ethics act. While Silverstein faces no formal punishment, colleagues have shunned him, Democratic governor candidates have called for his resignation, several opponents are running against him in the March primary, and he lost a Senate leadership post that carried a nearly $21,000 a year stipend.

The findings were made public about three months after Rotheimer complained about Silverstein’s behavior during a hearing on sexual harassment in Chicago. She stepped forward out of the audience and accused Silverstein of using the legislation she was advocating as “a carrot being dangled” over her, saying he made unwanted comments about her appearance, sent her hundreds of Facebook messages and placed late night phone calls.

Inspector general report on Sen. Ira canada goose outlet uk Silverstein (PDF) Inspector general report on Sen. Ira Silverstein (Text)

“I canada goose outlet website legit am very grateful that we have an independent inspector general who saw the facts for what they were,” said Silverstein, who is married to 50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein. “My priorities are now my family and my re election.”

cheap Canada Goose Rotheimer questioned the investigation’s outcome, saying the system was “rigged” to protect lawmakers. She said she feared it would cause a chilling effect that may prevent other women with similar stories from coming canada goose womens outlet forward out of fear they’d face intense scrutiny only for a lawmaker to receive a “slap on the hand.” cheap Canada Goose

canada goose clearance sale “Why do you think there haven’t been any other women?” said Rotheimer, who late last year filed to run as a Republican for a Lake County House seat before withdrawing. “They already know. I was the only one who was clueless.” canada goose clearance sale

Rotheimer’s surprise allegations were leveled at an Oct. 31 public hearing as legislators led by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan considered a measure to boost sexual harassment awareness training for government officials. The proposal came after more than 200 canada goose parka outlet uk people, encouraged by the MeToo movement, signed on to a letter circulated by legislative staffers, campaign workers, lobbyists and canada goose outlet florida others who shared stories that described a culture of sexual harassment at canada goose outlet us the Capitol.

uk canada goose outlet While the movement has brought increased attention to power dynamics in government that often leave women susceptible to abuse and harassment by men, Rotheimer is the only woman to publicly lodge allegations against a lawmaker canada goose parka outlet in Illinois. uk canada goose outlet

canada goose factory sale Critics point to a normally secretive investigative process for looking into ethics complaints filed against legislators. Once a complaint is made, it is up to a bipartisan panel of lawmakers called the Legislative Ethics Commission to vote on whether the inspector general can move forward with an investigation. Commission meetings are largely closed to the public, and the panel’s jurisdiction is limited to the Officials and Employees Ethics Act. canada goose factory sale

Sexual harassment was not included as a specific violation of the ethics act until legislators moved to address the omission following Rotheimer’s complaints. And while the ethics act says “no legislator may engage in other conduct which is unbecoming to a legislator or which constitutes a breach of public trust,” Porter noted there was nothing in law to define those terms.

Rotheimer said she went to Senate President John Cullerton’s office in November 2016 to report Silverstein’s behavior and was told to file a complaint with the legislative inspector canada goose outlet in vancouver general. She canada goose outlet in montreal was referred to the office even though it had canada goose outlet trillium parka black sat vacant for several years.

https://www.canadagoosepark.com canadian goose jacket Porter was appointed after it was revealed that dozens of ethics complaints had piled up while legislative leaders including Madigan and Cullerton left the job vacant. canadian goose jacket

cheap canada goose uk The interaction between Rotheimer and Silverstein began when Rotheimer, a victims’ canada goose coats uk rights advocate, was promoting legislation that would allow crime victims to apply for reimbursement of attorney’s canada goose vest outlet fees and costs related to enforcing their rights. Several influential groups were skeptical of the idea, including the attorney general’s office, state’s attorneys and some victims’ advocacy groups. cheap canada goose uk

canada goose black friday sale Rotheimer testified at a May 2015 committee hearing in Springfield to urge action on her idea. Silverstein “was moved by her story and wanted to help,” according to the inspector general’s report. Silverstein agreed to sponsor a bill on Rotheimer’s behalf, making him the lawmaker chiefly responsible for shepherding it through the legislative process. canada goose black friday sale

Canada Goose online Porter wrote that “there is uncertainty concerning how much Silverstein understood concerning opposition to Rotheimer’s proposal when he agreed to sponsor the bill.” Canada Goose online

During the year that followed, Silverstein and Rotheimer began canada goose jacket outlet uk exchanging regular Facebook messenger canada goose outlet woodbury notes that often veered into personal territory and included emojis. At the same time, the bill failed to gain traction in Springfield.

canada goose uk outlet At one point, Rotheimer alleges, Silverstein moved to kill the bill out of retaliation when he thought she had a boyfriend. The inspector general concluded that Silverstein had in fact sought to keep the bill alive, “it just took a few days to process.” canada goose uk outlet

Canada Goose Outlet The inspector general found that canada goose outlet canada while the legislation faced opposition and would have required changes to receive enough support to pass, “it appears that Silverstein like Rotheimer was canada goose outlet authentic misguided or naive about whether the bill could actually succeed as proposed.” Canada Goose Outlet

Canada Goose Jackets By November 2016, the bill had stalled and Rotheimer filed an ethics complaint against Silverstein. Canada Goose Jackets

While working on the bill, Rotheimer and Silverstein exchanged canada goose outlet jackets thousands of messages on Facebook, sometimes at odd hours. The inspector general found that both played a part in keeping the dynamic going.

canada goose clearance Silverstein “did not maintain an appropriate professional distance from the proponent of a bill he was sponsoring,” Porter wrote. “Even the appearance” that he “may have used his office to advance or impede legislation” because of his personal feelings about the bill’s proponent is “problematic.” canada goose clearance

uk canada goose In one exchange, Silverstein told Rotheimer he “will check to see if u r a true blond.” When questioned, the senator told Porter he was talking about checking the roots of Rotheimer’s hair because gray and dying hair had been a frequent topic of conversation. uk canada goose

canada goose outlet canada goose uk black friday While Silverstein denied any sexual connotations, Porter wrote that was “inconsistent with the messages themselves.” She said Silverstein has an “overly generous view of his own conduct,” and does not appear to “fully accept that the messages went beyond ‘joking around’ ” and that he “created at least the appearance that he had a romantic interest in Rotheimer.” canada goose uk black friday

canada goose uk shop At the same time, Porter said, Rotheimer “characterizes herself as a victim,” but that “even if Rotheimer was internally cringing at the messages canada goose outlet 80 off Silverstein sent her and did not canada goose outlet hong kong welcome them, she gave no outward sign of that at all, and no one including Silverstein would have had any way of knowing that she was not a fully willing participant in the discussions,” Porter wrote. canada goose uk shop

Porter also noted that in the Facebook messages, Rotheimer canada goose outlet los angeles “repeatedly compliments and flirts with Silverstein.” Porter reported canada goose outlet seattle that Rotheimer would tell Silverstein “You’re cute,” You’re funny,” and “I like it when you are you and not a politician.”

canada goose coats “If one looks at the messages from Silverstein’s perspective, she was as interested in friendly conversation as he was, and she encouraged such exchanges to continue,” Porter wrote. canada goose coats

Becky Carroll, a political consultant and one of the women behind the open letter last fall, said she did not think the inspector general’s finding would discourage women from canada goose outlet belgium coming forward.