THE ILLINOIZE: Friends remember Todd Maisch

June 2, 2023

Good morning, Illinois.

Just a couple of points to share with you.

I had a few people upset with me yesterday when we reported the death of Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Todd Maisch. When a figure in Illinois politics and government passes away before their time, it is news. It doesn’t mean we like it, it doesn’t mean we enjoy it, but it was news when Laurence Msall of the Civic Federation passed away and it was news when Sen. Scott Bennett passed away. The Chamber was given a heads up that we were reporting the story.

Also, Friday newsletters are typically reserved for paid subscribers, but I don’t like to make a profit on someone’s passing, so we’ve opened it up for everyone.

We’re recording a podcast later this morning and will have both Republican and Democratic reaction to the new state budget and the end of the legislative session.

Paid subscribers will get it first this afternoon, but it will go out to the masses tomorrow morning. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, or Amazon. The video version will also be on our YouTube page.

Let’s get to it.

MAISCH REMEMBERED AS ‘GIANT IN THE CAPITOL”

Friends and colleagues of Illinois Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Todd Maisch are remembering the business leader as a “giant” in Illinois politics and government.

Maisch died Thursday. He was 57.

His cause of death has not been released, but he took a leave from his position in mid-May due to a “medical issue.”

After working on House Republican staff, Maisch joined the Chamber in 1994, working his way up to President & CEO in 2014.

Former Illinois Chamber chief Doug Whitley, who chose Maisch to ascend to the top job in the organization, says Maisch left an indelible mark on the role the business community played in state government and politics.

“His family, friends, and his colleagues have plenty of reasons to be proud to have known Todd,” Whitley said. “He did influence the lives of business leaders and citizens of the state because of the laws he either passed or influenced one way or another. He was truly a giant in the Capitol.”

Longtime statehouse lobbyist Jay Shattuck, a who met Maisch for the first time in the early 90’s while Maisch was still on House Republican staff, says Maisch earned a reputation as a straight shooter who never went back on his word, a rarity in politics.

“I don’t think I can ever remember anyone saying Todd went back on his word,” Shattuck said. “When Todd made a commitment, he stuck to it. He was someone you could trust.

National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Chris Davis, who first met Maisch when he began working on House Republican staff in 1999, says Maisch took on a role as mentor for many young staffers.

“I remember Todd being so much more open, relaxed, and fun and friendly when he was around [staffers],” Chris Davis said. “I think he preferred to be around young staffers and people he could mentor than he did with all of the CEO’s or elites of the legislature.”

Above all of his policy and business accomplishments, Maisch’s family was always at the top of his priorities. His wife, Kim Clarke Maisch, is a longtime Statehouse fixture, who previously lobbied for NFIB in Illinois. Many friends referred to the Maisches as a “power couple.”

“It’s as if they went together like salt and pepper,” Whitley said. “They were really a tag team. Hand in glove.”

As their two sons had grown into teenagers in recent years, Shattuck said Maisch made a point of traveling with them, including a recent trip with their oldest son to Europe.

“His family and spending time with them and making it to their [sports] games was a priority for him,” Whitley said.

“You never want [someone’s] kids to have to go through this,” said former Congressman Rodney Davis, who has known Maisch since he ran for the Illinois House with the Chamber’s support in 1996. “I hope they remember him like [we] do, as a genuine, individual who cared about people.”

Rodney Davis built a longtime friendship with Maisch that stretched over Davis’ work for former Congressman John Shimkus and his own decade in the House.

Davis credited Maisch as someone he could count on for honest advice.

“In Congress, being able to trust people is tough. That sphere of influence becomes less and less,” Rodney Davis said. “But Todd was always the person who, if you needed something, you could pick up the phone and make things happen. That was just how Todd was.”

Rodney Davis called Maisch one of the best advocates for fiscal conservatism “the state has ever seen.”

Many friends remember Maisch as “just one of the guys.”

“He was really unpretentious,” Chris Davis said. “Even when he became head of the chamber, he didn’t have an air about him. He still treated me and everyone else the same as he did a decade earlier when he was just a young lobbyist and we were just young staffers.”

Across the board Thursday, friends and colleagues remained shocked at Maisch’s passing.

“It’s just too soon,” Whitley said. “It makes me very sad.”