Lake County Gazette

Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) argues Gov. J.B. Pritzker's handling of COVID-19 caused more harm than good for the long-suffering state.

"A lot of the struggle we're seeing now starts with his policies that haven't really worked," Wilcox told the Lake County Gazette. "Not even the surges of the virus that he warned would come haven't really happened here in Illinois and don't justify some of the things he's done."

Wilcox laments the governor's philosophy has come at a hefty price for the state. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker | File Photo

Recent Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) data shows the state has lost jobs in two of the last three months since September. December's non-farm payroll statistics are not yet available. 

No industry has been harder hit than leisure and hospitality, which lost approximately 27,000 jobs during November as the governor's ban on indoor dining had a more significant effect, according to the seasonally-adjusted report. 

"You have to allow people the chance to make a living for themselves and trust that they'll figure out a cautious approach for making things work," Wilcox said. "We've got moratoriums in place for others but haven't really talked much about how we protect small business owners or help them to survive."

Wilcox argues Pritzker's management style has only made it harder to accept some of his policies.

"We've got leaders telling residents what they can and can't do while they're doing anything they choose to," he said. "I can't fathom why they would think putting additional burdens on small business owners is a good thing, but that's what we're seeing."