Metro East Sun

Newly elected state Rep. Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg) already has grown tired of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with COVID-19.

“Gov. Pritzker should work with legislators and local officials to keep small businesses open and keep shoppers safe,” Elik told the Metro East Sun. “The Metro East isn’t Chicago and local leaders need to weigh in on decisions affecting our region’s physical and economic health.”

Elik thinks her views speak for the whole state, pointing to the way McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally recently vowed not to enforce the ban on indoor dining the governor has now enacted across that region. Elik seems to be in complete agreement with the raised defiance, given how much damage she thinks Pritzker’s actions are causing.

“The governor's actions show how out of touch he is with the citizens of Downstate Illinois, especially small business owners and their employees,” she said. “I support small businesses, as they question these measures that continue to ruin the livelihoods of many families across the state.”

Elik, who knocked off incumbent state Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) in the 111th District with nearly 55% of the vote, adds the governor now threatening to strip businesses that violate his order of state licenses is just more of the same flawed thinking and bullying.

“Those businesses that were closed for so long, and just reopened, cannot afford another shutdown,” she said. “We would see many more permanent closures should that happen, which means increasing job losses and unemployment rates.”