South Cook News

Republican state House candidate Eric Wallace boils that Gov. J.B. Pritzker is striving to fill a job description that was never made available to him.

“He’s clearly overstepping his bounds,” Wallace told South Cook News. “He wants to be the czar of Illinois and run everything without input or questioning from anyone else.”

As Exhibit A, Wallace points to Pritzker now pushing a rule that allow him to fine small businesses up to $2,500 for failure to enforce regulations for face coverings and social distancing. The governor is defending the proposal as a tool that will aid law enforcement, local boards of health, school districts, and the general public in enforcing the use of face coverings and social-gathering restrictions.

“You can tell adult people the ideal thing they should do for a particular situation, but you can’t force them to do it,” added Wallace, who is running to replace Toi Hutchinson in the 40th District. The governor has to stay within the parameters of his powers. We’ve had other pandemics and no one has been as authoritarian as he is. That’s true now also with other governors.”

Back in May, Pritzker tried enacting similar legislation, but withdrew it before a planned Joint Commission on Administrative Rules hearing amid much criticism.

“Illinois is not a one-size-fits-all location,” Wallace added. “You have to let areas figure some things out for themselves. You can’t hold an iron fist over people when their occupations and livelihoods are at stake.”

As resistance to some of the governor’s policies have intensified since the virus hit, Wallace thinks he’s figured out what the problem might be.

“It’s clear that the governor does not understand what it’s like to be a small businessman,” he said. “He’s been given a fortune and can’t appreciate what the small businessperson has to go through to hold things together.”