SE Illinois News

David Friess – newly elected as state representative for Illinois' 116th District – argues the timing for Gov. J.B. Pritzker to be pushing for less oversight in state government hiring couldn’t be more off base.

“As the investigations, indictments, and arrests continue, Illinoisans do not have faith in their government officials to be ethical and transparent,” Friess told the SE Illinois News. “Our government officials must continue to have oversight until trust is restored that new hires will be based on merit, qualifications and experience and not one's relationship to someone within the Democrat Party.”

The governor recently raised eyebrows across the state with his pronouncement that he’d like to see the court-ordered federal oversight of state government hiring practices in the executive branch become a thing of the past.

Pritzker said his position is based on the belief such oversight is no longer needed, prompting him to outline in a recent court filing how he’s convinced the state has already achieved the objectives set forth by the Shakman Decrees from nearly four decades ago. In addition, he argues oversight can only apply to political coercion of current employees.

Given all the controversy now swirling in Springfield, including House Speaker Mike Madigan finding himself at the center of a still unfolding federal corruption involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme where all the perks were allegedly steered to him in exchange for favorable legislation, Friess argues Pritzker’s push couldn’t be more stunning.

And then, there are the governor’s own troubles, namely the federal investigation looking into him avoiding $331,000 in property taxes by ripping the toilets out of a Gold Coast mansion he owns.

Friess has long argued he can’t see how ethics reform can truly come to Springfield as long as Madigan remains in charge.

“Right now, he wields so much power nothing even gets to the floor to be heard unless he signs off on it,” he said. "He’s a cancer on our state."