Will County Gazette

House Republican Floor Leader Mark Batinick argues voters’ rejection of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive tax plan can leave no doubt.

“The discernible fact here is that people don’t trust a (House Speaker) Mike Madigan-led legislature to do what’s right by the people,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette. “I’m definitely among those think this was the wrong move for the state and I’m really happy it didn’t pass.”

Despite the governor’s insistence that the tax he’s pushed since before arriving in Springfield would only mean higher rates for the state’s richest residents and having pumped at least $50 million of his own money into a campaign aimed at further sway voters, residents soundly rejected the measure that needed at least 60% support at the ballot box on Nov. 3.

Batinick said he isn’t at all surprised to see the governor now lashing out at every turn, threatening everything from across-the-board tax hikes to “painful” budget cuts in an effort to counterbalance things as he sees fit. Having won a fourth term in the 97th District by netting just over 52% of the vote against Democrat Harry Benton, Batinick thinks the governor is focusing on the wrong thing.

“I think it’s time to start creating a government that runs efficiently and as taxpayers we actually get what we pay for,” he said.” Right now, we don’t get what we pay for. We’ve got to find a way to build a system that gets rid of corruption, waste and fraud and I don’t think any of that can happen the way it needs as long as Madigan is in control.”

The state’s longest-tenured lawmaker, Madigan now finds himself at the center of a still unfolding federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme where all the perks were allegedly steered to him in exchange for favorable legislation and appointments to key positions.