McHenry Times

Republican state Sen. Don DeWitte (R-West Dundee) wishes Gov. J.B. Pritzker was truly more a man of his word when it comes to helping families and communities get ahead.

“When I came to Springfield in 2018, one of the things I learned was the importance of being an honest broker,” DeWitte said in a video posted to YouTube. “When you pledge your support or opposition to an initiative in this town and this building, your colleagues need to know they can take that pledge to the bank. This is especially important when it comes to initiatives involving our constituents.”

DeWitte said he can recall being part of the team that negotiated the bipartisan agreement on the Rebuild Illinois 2019 Capital Program.

“I remember Pritzker hailing the incentives that would help our families and communities thrive,” he said.

Now DeWitte sees Pritzker changing his stand.  

“The $269 million in transportation spending cuts being proposed by the governor would cost the state nearly 2,800 jobs for construction workers, 4,750 total jobs across the economy, and $755 million in estimated economic output for local business, according to an analysis done by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute,” he said. “The governor’s change of heart on incentives he agreed to and promoted shows us how insatiable his party’s appetite is for more revenue and more spending.”

Republicans believe their Reimagine Illinois plan, which is focused on anti-corruption measures, fiscal responsibility, community safety and job creation, offers a balanced solution.

"For too long, Illinois as a state has been stuck in a rut," Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) said in a recent Illinois House Republican video. "It's easy for our citizens to think, 'this is the way it has to be because this is the way it always has been.' Reimagine Illinois is telling us that we can have a different state if we change the direction of the state."

DeWitte agrees.

“There is no need to eliminate these job incentives,” he said. “The governor does not need to eliminate job creation programs; the governor has every opportunity to keep his word and be an honest broker.”