Barickman: Pritzker ‘broke his promise and abandoned the people of Illinois’
Barickman: Pritzker ‘broke his promise and abandoned the people of Illinois’ – State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) says Gov. J.B. Pritzker has joined a dubious list of local politicians who have gone back on their word.
“As a candidate, J.B. Pritzker told us that he was going to be different,” Barickman said at a recent news conference after Pritzker signed off on Democratic-drawn maps. “He said that he would fight the machine and he would represent people over politics. Today, he broke his promise and abandoned the people of Illinois, and by this action joins a long list of politicians who say one thing and do another.”
The maps will now define legislative districts for the next ten years.
Barickman argues Pritzker’s actions were all about politics and keeping Democrats in power, no matter what the cost.
“People are tired of politicians picking their voters,” he said. “The people of this state deserve an independent process that allows them to choose their representatives.”
In a statement, Pritzker said he is satisfied the maps do what they need to in terms of keeping elections fair and communities adequately represented across the state. House Speaker Chris Welch has also defended the governor’s actions as a “win for the people of this great state.”
Facing a June 30 deadline, Democrats pushed the maps through both chambers earlier this month following hearings. Had they failed to pass the maps by the end of the month, the state constitution would have called for the creation of an eight-person bipartisan panel to take over the job.
Barickman can only think of what could have been.
“Unfortunately the governor had an opportunity to be different, to keep his word and to begin restoring Illinoisans’ faith in their government, but unfortunately Gov. Pritzker by all accounts has failed on that,” he said.
Barickman: Pritzker ‘broke his promise and abandoned the people of Illinois’
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