Lake County Gazette

Republican state House hopeful Chris Bos is calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to put politics aside long enough to do the job he was elected to do.

“The governor needs to be following the will of the people in coming to the decisions he makes on behalf of all of us, not just doing the things he wants without regard for any of that,” Bos told the Lake County Gazette. “That’s what good government is all about.”

Pritzker recently doubled down on his decision to keep most student-athletes off the field over COVID-19 concerns, sparking protests from parents, students and coaches all across the state.

The Illinois High School Association fired off a letter to Pritzker requesting that they be allowed “to resume control over determining the resumption of sports and activities.” Currently, the two sides are allowing teams across the state to practice this month under specific COVID-19 guidelines.

Running against incumbent state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) in the 51st District, Bos said he’s happy to see the people take a stand.

“There is no perfect solution in the midst of what we’re dealing with, but we have to find ways to start moving forward,” he said. “I believe we can put plans together to do that in this instance. We need to understand that our kids need to be allowed to be kids.”

In the end, Bos said the decision to play or not should be left with parents and local school boards that can better assess if the community has needed safeguards in place.

“In some ways, the governor almost seems disconnected from reality,” Bos added. “At the end of day, many of these kids use these opportunities to earn scholarships and open other doors for themselves. With the governor having been so well off for all his life, it often seems like he just can’t relate to any of that.”