Prairie State Wire

Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) recently shared his ideas for restoring Chicago to greatness in an Aug. 1 Facebook post.

"Read my full OpEd on how we restore Chicago and all of Illinois’ greatness," Bailey wrote in the post. "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. 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.”

Bailey said while Chicago is still a “great city,” it is on the “decline.” Enacting better policies is required to stop this decline and reverse “current trends.”

In the post, Bailey shared a link to an editorial he wrote for the Chicago Tribune, in which he addresses several leadership failures, including a recent surge in violent crime.

"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,” Bailey stated. “In addition, more than 400,000 high priority calls in 2021 came in without an officer to dispatch. 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.”

Chicago is experiencing a “failure of leadership,” Bailey wrote.

“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,” he stated. “Additionally, Foxx’s inept leadership, her failure to punish violent criminals, is fanning the flames of violence."

Violence is also a reason many companies are leaving Illinois, according to Bailey.

"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," Bailey stated.

However, rising crime impaired Citadel’s ability to bring top talent to Chicago and Illinois, and the company is moving its operations to Florida, Bailey wrote.

Bailey also lamented the move of Caterpillar from Illinois to Texas.  

"Since the 19th century, Illinois has been a center of historic innovation for agricultural and construction equipment automation,” Bailey stated. “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. The loss of Caterpillar is a massive blow to our state."

According to SE Illinois News, Bailey blames the Biden administration and Pritzker for high gas prices, which adversely affect Illinois families.

"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.”

The gas price situation in Illinois is being made worse by taxes, Bailey said.

“In 2019, J.B. Pritzker pushed through legislation to double the sales tax on motor fuel,” Bailey said. “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 called for Illinois to repeal the state gas tax in May.

"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," he said in a tweet.

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