McHenry Times

Veteran Illinois state Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) leaves no doubt where he stands on the issue of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Skillicorn recently joined 22 other GOP lawmakers in penning a letter to the governor, imploring him to move the state forward in his five-phase Restore Illinois plan.

Skillicorn joined Reps. Dan Ugaste, Brad Stephens, Margo McDermed, Grant Wehrli, Amy Grant, Tom Morrison, Steve Reick, Tom Weber, Joe Sosnowski, Tony McCombie, David Welter, Lindsay Parkhurst, Tim Butler, Andrew Chesney, Randy Frese, Mike Murphy, C.D. Davidsmeyer, Dan Caulkins, Brad Halbrook, Dan Brady, Tom Bennett and Charlie Meier in expressing some of the policies the governor put in place as part of the stay-at-home order he initially enacted back in March now seem like overkill. 

“You have stated that you are consistently relying on the science to back up your plan, which now simply does not add up,” they wrote. “It has been reported that positivity rates are way down, as are hospitalizations due to COVID-19, including in northeast Illinois. There is no science behind allowing people in retail stores but not allowing them into a restaurant.”

Skillicorn hasn’t stopped there, recently applauding Oak Park Mayor Keith Pekau after he blasted the governor for turning to “weird science” to justify some of his many restrictions.

“The Mayor of Orland Park is spot on in his criticism of continuing the lockdown,” he posted on Facebook. “Pritzker can’t hide behind fake science any longer.”

Skillicorn previously told the McHenry Times he sees the governor as now being wildly disconnected from the people that put him in power.

“The governor is drunk with power and is completely insensitive to what his policies are doing to average people,” he said. “He can retreat to his horse farm and lavish Florida homes, but the rest of Illinois is left under his tyranny and bad decisions. We can’t stay in lockdown forever.”

The earliest the state can move into Phase 4 of the governor’s plan is June 26, a point where gatherings of up to 50 people would be allowed and restaurants and bars can reopen with limited seating.