Prairie State Wire

Illinois House candidate Peter Breen (R-Lombard) suspects the protests to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s extended stay-at-home order that are becoming common across the state will only intensify.

“They’re a sign of the number of people in Illinois that are frustrated with what they see as the arbitrary nature of the governor’s actions,” Breen told the Prairie State Wire. “Folks are both perplexed and frustrated with his metrics for which businesses are considered essential and nonessential.”

Hundreds of demonstrators recently lined government office buildings in Springfield and downtown Chicago to express their outrage over the governor’s recent decision to keep small businesses across the state either shuttered or operating in a reduced capacity through the end of the month as a way of hopefully slowing the spread of the virus.

“The people are also concerned about what appears to be the lack of a plan to restart the economy or at least segments of it, particularly for folks outside of the Chicagoland area,” said Breen, who is running against incumbent state Rep. Terra Costa-Howard (D-Glen Ellyn) in the 48th District. “For folks in collar counties like me, we’re really concerned with the way small businesses have been cast aside in favor of big-box operations that haven’t had nearly the same level of restrictions placed on them.”

Given all the imbalance and growing uncertainty, Breen said he can’t be sure how much longer most residents will prove willing to comply with all the intrusive restrictions.

“People need to get back to work and they want to be able to resume their lives,” he said. “They want to be able to open up their businesses and they’re ready to do it in a safe and responsible manner. They’re just not being given the power.”