East Central Reporter

In an Aug. 1 Facebook post, gubernatorial candidate and Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) laid out his ideas for what he describes as restoring Chicago to greatness. “Read my full OpEd on how we Restore Chicago and all of Illinois’ greatness."

In his Facebook post, Bailey shared a link to his full op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times, in which he pointed out what he considers failures of leadership in Chicago.

"Regarding violence, last year was the deadliest in Chicago in 25 years, and the city this year is on a pace for more than 600 homicides. In addition, more than 400,000 high priority calls in 2021 came in without an officer to dispatch," Bailey said. "This turmoil is made worse by rising crime and officers leaving the force due to extreme policies and poor work conditions pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. What is happening in Chicago is a failure of leadership. Policies such as ending cash bail, defunding the police and ending many foot pursuits have made it much more difficult for police officers to do their jobs. Additionally, Foxx’s inept leadership, her failure to punish violent criminals, is fanning the flames of violence."

He also points out violence as a reason that companies are relocating out of Illinois. "At one time, Chicago was a global financial center and attracted people like Ken Griffin, who built a multibillion-dollar investment company bringing pension funds, endowments, foundations and individual investors to his innovative platform of Citadel, which has called Chicago home from the beginning. However, rising crime impaired Citadel’s ability to bring top talent to Chicago and Illinois, Griffin said, and he is moving his operations to Florida. Another company to leave Chicago is Caterpillar, which is moving to Texas," Bailey said. "Since the 19th century, Illinois has been a center of historic innovation for agricultural and construction equipment automation. Caterpillar, along with fellow equipment and vehicle manufacturers John Deere and Navistar, has represented a material portion of Illinois’ economy, tax base, private sector jobs and equipment exports to destinations in America and around the globe. So the loss of Caterpillar is a massive blow to our state."

Bailey ended on positive notes.

"Despite these losses, Chicago remains the capital of the Midwest, host of world-class universities, innovative financial markets, globally recognized cultural institutions, jaw-dropping architecture, iconic neighborhoods, renowned museums and a legendary restaurant scene," Bailey said. "Chicago’s central location, combined with its transportation infrastructure — roads, rail, water arteries and airports — enables the city to facilitate commerce across the continent and around the world. Chicago is still a great city, but it is a city in decline. The good news is that enacting better policies will stop the decline and reverse the current trends."

Bailey called for Illinois to repeal the state gas tax on May 22 saying, "It’s time to repeal the Pritzker gas tax that Irvin/Bourne supported and provide real, long-term tax relief to struggling families across Illinois."

Bailey is blaming the Biden administration and Pritzker for gas prices. "Gas prices in Illinois hit a record high on Memorial Day," Bailey said. "Nationally, gas prices are high due to the inept policies of the Biden administration, such as canceling offshore drilling permits and shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline. Instead of being energy independent, the United States has become dependent on foreign governments for our oil supply. But the gas price situation in Illinois is being made worse by taxes. In 2019, (Gov.) J.B. Pritzker pushed through legislation to double the sales tax on motor fuel. Now, Illinois has the second-highest gas taxes in the country and working families are paying the price with record-setting gas prices. As governor, I will combat inflation by reducing state spending, lowering taxes, and prioritizing the needs of working families."

Bailey and his running mate, Stephanie Trussell, have planned a campaign fund-raising event in New Haven on Aug. 31, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., according to a Facebook event post dated July 31.