Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) thinks Gov. J.B. Pritzker should take more accountability for his COVID-19 decisions that have impacted businesses and residents.

“If the governor is going to restrict businesses to 25% of occupancy, those businesses should be getting a reduction in what they owe the state,” McLaughlin told the Lake County Gazette. “You can’t stop people from making a living, and what the governor is doing strikes me as insanity. I think it’s well past time people in local communities start making the decisions about what’s best for their communities.”

Illinois continues to struggle with the economic impacts of COVID-19. A survey from small business referral network Alignable found that 56% of restaurant and bar owners failed to pay their full rent in December. The missed payments are tied to tighter restrictions the government imposed.

Illinois, however, is not alone in dealing with this plight. Nationally, 61%, up 19% from November, could not meet their rent obligations.

In Illinois, the number of restaurants unable to make full rent payments has already more than doubled since September.

“The governor’s decrees aren’t doing anything to help small business owners,” McLaughlin said. “(The governor is) insulated by his $3 billion fortune and simply can’t relate to common people. For him, there’s no consideration for regular people when it comes to what he decides to do.”

At every opportunity, McLaughlin said he’s encouraging voters to take back their power.

“The only true power in Illinois is for people to stand up for themselves and against the governor’s tyranny,” he said. “People are doing everything they can to hang in, and the governor is standing in the way at every turn.”