The head of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, John Sullivan, has resigned amid fallout from the July 2012 email controversy surrounding Quincy lobbyist Michael McClain.
In correspondence from Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office today, Sullivan’s resignation was asked for by the governor because of his alleged knowledge of the email between McClain and then-Governor Pat Quinn’s office about a cover up while serving as a State Senator for the 47th District, which covers Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, Henderson, Mason, McDonough, Schuyler, Warren counties and portions of Fulton and Knox counties.
The Governor’s office said that the Governor’s general counsel has shared all of the information learned from Sullivan with the Office of the Executive Inspector General and offered to share the information with all law enforcement agencies looking into this situation.
Pritzker allegedly asked for Sullivan’s resignation because he “did not handle [the email] appropriately, including not alerting the inspector general or other authorities.”
Sullivan’s resignation was effective yesterday.