Lake County Gazette

Illinois District 31 Senate candidate Chris Kasperski (R-Grayslake) is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to consider the whole picture as the state struggles to react to the coronavirus outbreak.

“Only one thing will spare our small businesses and that is to allow them to get back to business,” Kasperski, running against longtime incumbent state Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake), told the Lake County Gazette. “The pandemic has led to unprecedented sacrifices and irreparable harm to so many lives and livelihoods. We must all work together to defeat this virus and get our economy open swiftly and safely.”

Kasperski says that Pritzker to loosen the reins to the point of allowing the state economy to at least partially restart.

“What we need more than ever is transparency and some sense of a plan so we can better prepare for the reopening of the state,” he said. “Families and businesses yearn for a sense of stability and familiarity. The sooner we can defeat this virus and get back to the 'new normal' that the governor alluded to, the better.”

Kasperski points to a new Coronavirus Small Business Survey by WalletHub that found that 35 percent of small businesses across the country say their business won't survive more than three months in current conditions as yet another example of how they’ve been forced to absorb more than their share of the fallout from the pandemic. In addition, 68 percent said they feel the government is not doing enough to help them.

Kasperski fears that things may even be tougher here in Illinois.

“Gov. Pritzker's arbitrary rules have come at the cost of small business, as his administration has shown a reliance on partnering with big companies while commanding the vulnerable small businesses to remain closed,” Kasperski said. “His Hyatt Hotels can sustain this, but the local bed and breakfast cannot. We cannot overlook that people's lives and their livelihoods are interconnected.”