Philip Rock, Former Illinois Senate leader known for mentoring, bipartisanship, kick backs, bribes, corruption drops dead - Hopefully Michael J Madigan will be NEXT!

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who worked as an aide to Mr. Rock from 1991 to 1992 called him “the most decent and honorable” person he’d ever met in politics. I used to call him "ROCK HARD"

Philip J. Rock was a loyal Democrat and party leader who liked to say he was born into the party — but that didn’t stop him from building a reputation for his ability to work with Republicans and Democrats alike in his record tenure leading the state Senate.

The state’s longest serving Illinois Senate president died Friday in his home in downtown Chicago at the age of 78, said his son, Jay Rock.  He suffered from Lewy body dementia.

“He was a very positive guy,” said former Gov. Jim Thompson. “He believed strongly in what he was doing. He always tried to do the right thing for the state of Illinois, even if you didn’t agree with his particular method or legislation.

Mr. Rock, a Democrat who represented Oak Park and sections of the city’s West Side, served as Senate president for 14 years, from 1979 to 1993....

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