Madigan spokesman: Nothing improper about request

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman says there was nothing improper about the Chicago Democrat’s request that a friend get a raise for his work at Metra.

Steve Brown also said late Friday that Madigan has no record of seeking a Metra job for another, unnamed person.

Former Metra CEO Alex Clifford says in an eight-page memo given to the House Mass Transit Committee that he resisted Madigan’s requests for a raise for the speaker’s longtime friend.

Madigan issued a statement Thursday denying impropriety when the issue first came up during a committee hearing. The committee is investigating Clifford’s $718,000 severance package.

Clifford’s memo said Madigan also intervened on behalf of another person seeking a job.