Lake County Gazette

More and more, Republican state House candidate Chris Bos questions if Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ever been the man he claims to be.

“The way the governor is running this state is not a logical way to run a business, especially for someone who’s suppose to be a businessman,” Bos told the Lake County Gazette. "He should know this is not the time to be raising taxes or overhead on anyone. ”

Bos, running against incumbent Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) in the 51st District, laments in the coming days Illinois will see both actions after the governor pronounced he has no intentions of delaying things.  

On July 1, the state’s minimum wage climbed to $10 an hour and another $1 increase is set for Jan. 1, 2021. In addition, the state's gas tax is set to rise and many state workers are due millions more in pay hikes.

“The governor has the ability to put a pause to this and help our local small businesses have time to get back on their feet,” Bos added. “You talk to any small business owner right now and they’ll tell you that they’re hurting, but none of that seems to matter to the governor.”

Bos, a Lake Zurich resident, said the end result is the state now stands at a crossroads.

“You’ve got small business owners all over asking themselves,'Can I do business here in Illinois from a fiscal standpoint?' and many of them are finding it harder and harder to say, 'Yes,'” he said. “The governor should know this is not the time for any of this. So many of our small business owners were excited to be reaching the point of being able to open up more of their business, now they’re being hit with something that will make it harder for them.”

Making matters all the more maddening, Bos said the governor offers little explanation for being so inflexible on the issue.

“He just blows off the questions without a direct answer,” he said. “It’s time for him to be a leader and put the local economy ahead of his political positions.”