State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) argues Gov. J.B. Pritzker still has much to learn when it comes to getting a handle on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and it starts with seeking other perspectives.
“At a time of crisis, I believe true leaders ask for more input from their Council, their commissioners and legislators and not less,” McLaughlin, who served as Barrington Hills’ village president up until assuming his seat in Springfield last year, said at a recent news conference on the issue. “We stayed open throughout the COVID crisis without incident using common-sense safety measures. As a mayor, I had a unique perspective of witnessing firsthand exactly how the viruses and the mandates were affecting local businesses.”
McLaughlin argues Pritzker’s new COVID-19 proof-of-vaccine requirements for businesses and park districts across state demonstrate his ignorance.
“I have been fervently advocating for common sense and local control since May of 2020,” he said. “As mayor in my town I was offered the same emergency, unilateral control opportunity from legal counsel, but I rejected it.”
Across Cook County, the proof-of-vaccine rule will apply to everyone age 5 and older and include such establishments as restaurants, bars, gyms and other venues like sports and entertainment arenas, NBC5 reported.
McLaughlin argues it only serves to increase suffering for many Illinois residents.
“The executive mandate from the county forced our citizens to stay within their homes, out of our schools, out of our places of worship and closed an assortment of businesses,” he said. However, big box stores were allowed to remain open with record profits while devastating our main-street businesses in our community. As we enter 2022, the mayor of Chicago, the Board President of Cook County and Gov. Pritzker continue unconstitutional use of these mandates on private citizens.”
Read more here.
Related: “Citing vaccine mandate, Bob Chinn’s Crab House to pause operations for a month in Wheeling”
This is segregation ~ how do these politicians not recognize that? We are supposed to live in a free society. This behavior is reprehensible and the mandates need to end. Now. Thank God for McLaughlin. I’m glad to have his voice in Springfield, but we sure miss his local leadership in VBH.
Dear, M. McLaughlin,
Thank you for the common sense messaging. Wish our Governor had some sense, he would lead by example and start eating right and exercising. Catering to the special interest of teacher’s unions and forcing vaccines and masks on the population of Illinois is not sustainable nor is it the answer to the financial and health concerns of the people of Illinois.
God Bless,
Dagny