Lake County Gazette

Illinois House of Representatives member-elect, Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills), said he thinks that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has become the state’s biggest enemy in the fight to control the lingering coronavirus.

“Definitely, one of our biggest problems is the fear being instilled in the general population that’s coming from the governor’s office,” McLaughlin told the Lake County Gazette. 

“Gov. Pritzker is instilling a level of fear that's really driven consumers away from our small businesses," McLaughlin said. 

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) | Wikipedia commons

The impact from this fear has been devastating. An article by The Center Square, said a new TrackTheRecovery.org analysis has found that since the beginning of the year, the state has lost more than a third of all small businesses.

Overall, data compiled by Harvard and Brown universities and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows as of Nov. 16, the number of small businesses open dipped by some 35.4% compared to January of this year. The industry has also experienced a revenue decline topping 39% since January.

“None of it surprises me. Everything coming from the governor’s office has been fear, but at the same time you can go to a big box retailer and the crowd is overflowing. I wonder what makes things so different in the governor’s eyes," McLaughlin said. 

McLaughlin recently knocked off Democratic candidate Marci Suelzer (D-Island Lake) for the right to replace outgoing state Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) in the 52nd District. 

National Federation of Independent Business (NIFB) Illinois State Director, Mark Grant, points out that running a small business in Illinois was already quite the challenge even before the pandemic hit, given such factors as higher property taxes and workers’ compensation.

“It’s time to let people decide for themselves what level of risk they’re willing to take,” McLaughlin said. 

“Right now, the government is obstructing the rights and freedoms of people across the state. People have to be allowed to make a living for themselves," McLaughlin said. 

McLaughlin stated that he wonders if the governor fully understands the impact his actions are having on small business owners just struggling to survive.

“The governor shouldn’t be making all these decisions all on his own. His actions have a spiraling effect, impacting everyone from the owner to workers and vendors. The governor needs to understand we all don’t have a $3.5 billion nest egg to rely on and it’s not right for him to just pick winners and losers," McLaughlin said.