Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) believes that without leaders in Springfield adopting much-needed reforms on issues like the budget and pension system, mass migration out of the state will continue at the same accelerated pace.
“Making that even worse is the fact that so many of the people leaving Illinois now are our young people,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette. “I want voters to go into the booth and make informed choices so that we can stop this drag on the state.”
Batinick said his mission is to continue to be part of the state’s long-term solution, which he sees as getting the state’s finances in order and sending representatives to Springfield who are willing to put solid policies above partisan politics.
“Too much now is just about winning ... an election instead of creating a winning atmosphere for the state,” Batinick, running for re-election in the 97th District, said. “We have to remember what we’re put in office for.”
He said he also thinks it’s time that Illinois returned to its days of conservative core principles. Recently he joined other Republican lawmakers in filing suit over the implementation of abortion-expansion bill HB40, which puts taxpayers on the hook in funding abortions for Medicaid recipients and government employees at any time during their pregnancy.
Most estimates have the measure costing taxpayers upwards of $30 million annually.
“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,” Batinick said, arguing a change in attitude in Springfield strikes him as being much more important than changes in personnel just for the sake of change.
“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.
Alerts Sign-up