Wednesday, January 6, was expected to be another day in American history when Congress certifies the electoral college votes and citizens wait for inauguration day. This process is usually affirmed with little fanfare, and we rarely see objections as a peaceful transition of power should take place.
Instead, President Trump lost the election and his supporters attempted to usurp authority, tradition and the laws to overthrow a clear victory for the President-elect. Trump's incitement of a group of his supporters led to the violent insurrection at the US Capitol. While it's not the first time a domestic attack has taken place at the capitol, we cannot tolerate the perpetrators of hateful and violent behavior. The sum of violent acts exhibited the rioters contempt for our American democracy and attempts to subvert the people's right to free and fair elections into a peaceful transition of power.
We cannot back down from such attacks. We need to build anew with transparency, ethics, and adherence to the rule of law that has been destroyed in recent years. I want to thank the members of our Illinois delegation that stood fast and voted in favor of the transition to the new Presidency. It took a lot of courage for them, the staff, media, and other officials to stand up against the mob and come back to work that same long night. There are people being held responsible and more to come as investigations take place. The actions of those insurrectionists will not overpower the will of those who voted for a change to create a more equitable system in our democracy.
I wish you and your family the best in this new year.
Alderman Scott Waguespack