Kane County Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) fumes Gov. J.B. Pritzker is making a mockery in his use of a level of power he was never entitled to have from the beginning.

“It is not up to Pritzker, (Chicago Mayor Lori) Lightfoot, me or any other public official,” Skillicorn told the Kane County Reporter of the burning question of when and how is the best way to fully restart the state economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is up to you, the people, to decide what is best for you, your businesses, your family and your lives.”

Pritzker recently unveiled his five-phase “Restore Illinois” plan that calls for a region-by-region reopening, with some areas of the state moving forward more quickly than others.

But even with the state already in the plan's Phase 2, which allows nonessential stores to open on a limited basis, Pritzker doesn’t envision the state reaching Phase 5, or fully reopening for business, until a vaccine or effective treatment for the virus becomes available.

It all strikes Skillicorn as overkill and yet another unnecessary burden for many small business owners who can ill afford it.  

“The people of Illinois are now aware of the invisible enemy we face,” he said. “It is time to continue to protect the most vulnerable, ramp up testing, wear a mask and let people in most of Illinois get fully back to work and commerce. We are going to have to learn to live with this scrounge for the foreseeable future and right now we are on a suicidal path of the governor’s making.”

In the end, Skillicorn said much of it comes down to giving the people the right to make the choice they’re entitled to make.  

“The course of action I am recommending is one of freedom and individual choices,” he said. “The governor is issuing mandates and forced compliance with these mandates. I want to give people a choice. Those businesses that don’t want to open up would not have to open and certainly no one would be compelled to patronize businesses that would decide to open.”