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State Rep. Wants To Recall Governor

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn of Crystal Lake wants to recall Gov.  J.B. Pritzker.
Office of Rep. Allen Skillicorn
State Rep. Allen Skillicorn of Crystal Lake wants to recall Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

A Republican state representative who says he has taken steps to start the recall process against J.B. Pritzker was chastised by the governor Tuesday for consistently voting against spending on vital programs.

Allen Skillicorn of Crystal Lake said in a press release that the governor failed to act to fix the state’ Department of Employment Security’s unemployment benefit system. 

“The Governor has had ample time to fix this website,” Skillicorn said. “I called him out on it, and nothing has been addressed nor has there been a plan presented to fix the problems. Enough is enough. The incompetence cannot continue.”

Pritzker brushed off the criticism. 

“Well, you couldn't possibly anticipate that we would have a number of unemployment filings that was an enormous multiple of that which occurred during the Great Recession,” he said.

Pritzker said the old system was outdated and that made it difficult for some individuals to put in for claims. The system since has been updated. 

Skillicorn’s effort faces a high bar to succeed as it would require bipartisan support from the general assembly and hundreds of thousands of petition signatures to get a recall question on the ballot.

Copyright 2020 NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS

Maureen Foertsch McKinney is the NPR Illinois News Editor and a lead editor of Illinois Issues' feature articles, working with freelance writers, and is curator of the Equity blog. Maureen joined the staff in 1998 as projects editor. Previously, she worked at three Illinois daily newspapers, most recently the suburban Chicago-based Daily Herald, where she served stints as an education reporter and copy editor. She graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's in journalism. She also has a master's degree in English from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
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