Peoria Standard

Gary McCullough said he’s not sure who is helping Gov. J.B. Pritzker come up with the rules and regulations the governor has been imposing since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Illinois, but he does have one thought about those aides.

They just have to be kidding, right?

McCullough, a 68-year-old Dunlap resident, said he can't explain what is happening in Illinois. The state is forcing businesses to close while it calls out for new revenue streams.

While other states are reopening and trying to resume a normal existence, Illinois remains under orders to restrict movements and commercial endeavors. Recreational pot stores are open but churches are closed.

“I don’t who he has making the rules for him but they must have a good sense of humor,” McCullough told Peoria Standard.

That’s why he supports the recall effort launched by state Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake).

Although Skillicorn has a recall affidavit on his website, he needs to have his recall effort supported by 19 other representatives and 10 senators, with an equal split from both parties, before signatures can be gathered.

Skillicorn wants Pritzker removed for incompetence, saying he has failed to address serious problems with the Illinois Department of Employment Security website and call center, as well his threats against business owners who dared open their business in defiance of his shutdown orders.

“The governor has had ample time to fix this website,” Skillicorn said in a statement. “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Pritzker said the IDES website is out of date and could not handle the rush of applicants when the pandemic — and his closure orders — caused a severe business downturn.

Recalling a governor is extremely difficult under a law passed by voters in 2010 following the resignation under fire of the scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He served eight years behind bars before President Trump ordered him released from prison in February.

A recall initiative must be supported by 10 state senators and 20 state representatives — with no more than half from each party. It then goes before the State Board of Elections.

Petitioners then must collect signatures from at least 25 counties, with a minimum of 100 per county, in 150 days. They need to garner signatures from 15 percent of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election, or about 370,000.

McCullough, an Illinois native, worked for Caterpillar and the power company Ameren before retiring. He knows the odds are against a successful recall effort.

“No, because past practices with Democrats in this state is to take everything to the Illinois Supreme Court, which turns everything pretty much unanimous for the Democrats,” he said.

That’s why term limits and redistricting cannot get on the ballot but recreational marijuana can, McCullough said.

“That process for any conservative desire to get on the ballot is insurmountable,” he said.

Pritzker himself is a greater concern for McCullough.

“I believe he’s completely abandoned what’s good for the citizens of Illinois,” McCullough said. “Since the pandemic began, it seems like he has totally abandoned the citizens of Illinois for political gain.”

McCullough also wonders about the severity of the pandemic.

“It would appear, there’s always been some suspicion about the coronavirus numbers,” he said. “Either [Pritzker is] lying to us about the numbers or he’s inept in how to deal with it. Why are our numbers here in Illinois so high? That’s a rhetorical question. I don’t know why they are so high. Are they inflated, or is somebody lying to us?”

McCullough also is disappointed by reports that the governor had workers from an Illinois company dispatched to his Wisconsin horse farm when he was ordering people to close their businesses and restrict their movements.

“The stay at home order seems to only apply to the citizens and not his family,” he said. “The reason they were working in the horse farm up there is because it’s cooler up there. Before, his wife and family were spending time at their horse farm in Florida. But since it’s hot down there, they wanted to go to Wisconsin where’s it’s cooler. Since he shut things down, his wife has left the state.”

McCullough is curious about something else.

“The question is, who’s paying for the work at that horse farm?” he asked.

Although Pritzker is a billionaire, he has shown he will cut corners to save money, McCullough noted, as it was revealed he had toilets removed from a home to reduce the property tax bill.

“A few dollars for property tax would be nothing,” McCullough said. “So who pays them? I do. They go to extra efforts and lengths to have other people pay for their entertainment. So the question is, who’s paying for the workers to go to Wisconsin?”

That’s another reason the recall is a good idea, he said, as people are suffering financially, and yet the governor seems not to care.

“He’s got our state closed down financially,” McCullough said. “I don’t understand that thought process. You think a governor would want to open us up, especially when you see other states opening up without an increase in coronavirus.”

The pain is very real, he said, adding, "It’s hard for me to imagine the heartbreak Mr. Pritzker has caused with so many restrictions.” 

That’s why he supports a recall effort, no matter how long a shot it is.