Will County Gazette

Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) isn’t hung up on having to see Gov. Bruce Rauner and Rep. Jeanne Ives together on stage together, but he would like to know more about what each of them is thinking.

“More than any debate, I would like to see detailed policy plans from each of them on how they would get the state back on track,” he told the Will County Gazette. “That’s what’s most important, that we get the state turned around.”

The Telegraph newspaper in Alton recently blasted Rauner as being "a coward" for thus far refusing to debate Ives (R-Wheaton) before the primary in March. The publication noted the University of Illinois at Springfield tried to organize a GOP debate in February, but Rauner steadfastly refused to take part.

Illinois State House Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield)

“I’ll be tuning in to hear what the governor has to say in his State of the State address,” said Batinick. “It would be good if Jeanne Ives had the same kind of stage, but it’s more important that voters know what each of them truly stands for.”

As for his own re-election campaign in the 97th District, Batinick said all is going well and his straight to-the-point-message is starting to resonate with voters across the district.

 “We need to stop spending more than we take in, focus on economic growth and focus on getting a handle on our growing pension crisis,” he said.

Batinick said he still isn’t sure about how much change in leadership is needed in Springfield for that to happen.

“You don’t always need to change people for that, just the policies that they espouse,” he said. “People there have to face the reality of what’s needed, and I think that happens every day that goes by when we have this massive debt load that’s still growing.”

The 97th District includes all or parts of Oswego, Plainfield and Shorewood.