McHenry Times

In Rep. Allen Skillicorn’s (R-East Dundee) mind, his former Republican colleague Jeanne Ives has become an institution around Springfield.

“She may no longer be in the General Assembly, but she’s forever changed the body of who we strive to be,” Skillicorn told the McHenry Times. “Watching her as a leader and having her as a mentor of mine, I learned so much and hope all of us can continue to stand for all the things she fought for.”

Ives's departure became official during the week of Jan. 7, but not before she thanked her many supporters and warned them that she believes the job of rescuing Illinois remains far from over.

Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake)

In a lengthy letter farewell letter posted on her website, Ives, who after six years gave up her seat in the 42nd District to challenge Gov. Bruce Rauner in the Republican primary, touched on everything from the state’s ongoing pension crisis to its sputtering economy and rising property tax rates.

According to Ives, all of those pressing issues are mightily contributing to the state’s dwindling population, including the record-setting 45,000 plus residents who fled in 2018 in an effort to rid themselves of the burden brought on by Illinois’s crippling tax rates.

Ives points to an average of almost 100,000 people leaving Illinois over the last each of the last six years as the biggest indictment there can be that the state’s economic policies are not working. 

“In the six years I have been here, I never voted for a budget,” Ives wrote. “Every single budget was out of balance, did not set priorities in line with what we could afford, did not reform spending and was nothing more than documents prepared by insiders in both parties with little to no input by rank-and-file members.”

Skillicorn says that is where Ives will be missed most, taking a stance for the common taxpayer and standing up to abuse and wasteful spending.

“She brought courage and leadership back to the Assembly and the Republican Party,” he said. “She fought for plenty of bills that fixed spending practices and reeled in unethical behavior. She acted as a check and balance against taxpayer abuse and bad public policy.”

Ives implored taxpayers to demand more from government, starting with greater accountability, leaving Skillicorn to dream of what could be.

“If there were more people like Jeanne Ives in Springfield, there would be a lot less corruption, lower taxes and things would be more functional,” he said. “You can’t replace her, all you can do is demand the transparency that she would and work hard to point out bad bills and bad policy.”