South Central Reporter

James Jones is an Illinois native who loves his home state.

That’s why he thinks recalling its governor is an excellent idea.

“I am 71 years old and I retired from Illinois Power Company/Ameren nine years ago,” Jones said. “Other than the four years that I spent in the US Navy, I have breathed Illinois air all of my life. There is no better air on God’s planet. My heart is broken over the stench emanating from liberal Democrats and fouling that air. Recall Governor/Emperor J.B. Pritzker? Oh hell yes, recall him.”

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-Crystal Lake, started the recall campaign on May 22.

Skillicorn released a statement explaining why he felt it was needed, and placed a recall petition on his website. It needs the support of 10 other representatives and 10 senators before signatures can be collected.

Gov. Pritzker deserves to be recalled because of serious and enduring problems with the Illinois Department of Employment Security website and call center, Skillicorn said.

He also thinks the governor crossed a constitutional line by threatening to criminally charge business owners who defied his closure owner. The issue is one of competence, he said.

“The governor has had ample time to fix this website,” Skillicorn said in a statement. “I called him out on it, and nothing has been addressed nor has there been a plan presented to fix the problems. Enough is enough. The incompetence cannot continue.”

Pritzker said the agency had a decade-old website that was not prepared or capable of handling a massive volume of applicants. More workers have been added to deal with the volume of calls, but Pritzker said people need to use the online portal.

“I believe that J.B. is in over his head and has no idea what he’s doing,” Jones told South Central Reporter. “Either that or he doesn’t care, which would be worse.”

Recalling a governor is a daunting challenge in Illinois. Under a law passed by voters in 2010 following the scandal-plagued administration, resignation and imprisonment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, it is a cumbersome process.

A recall petition needs the support of 10 state senators and 20 state representatives — with no more than half from each house from a single party. It is then sent to the State Board of Elections.

Signatures are then required from at least 25 counties, with a minimum of 100 names per county. Petitioners have 150 days to gather signatures from 15 percent of the number of voters in the most recent general election. That’s about 637,000 signatures in this case.

It approved by a majority of voters, the governor is removed and the lieutenant governor named acting governor. A special election is scheduled to fill the office and complete the current term.

It has never happened in Illinois and only twice in the nation: North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier in 1921 and California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003.

Skillicorn said Pritzker was wrong to release 4,000 inmates, 64 with murder convictions, from prison over concerns about COVID-19.

“The rights of honest business owners are being taken away while our governor releases murders from prison,” Skillicorn said. “The constitutional rights of the people have been usurped long enough. It is time to recall Gov. JB Pritzker.”

Jones agrees that Pritzker, a Democrat, needs to go. It’s interesting, since Jones claims to have been a Democrat for many years.

“Up until March of 2009 I was a Democrat, at that time I realized that Barack Obama was untruthful and I should have been paying more attention to what was really going on instead of following party guidelines,” he said. “Since then I have let my inner conservative emerge. I have vowed to never vote for any Democrat running for any office. I cannot vote for someone from a political party that endorses infanticide and scoffs at the Constitution. I am pro-life and pro-2nd Amendment. I am a strong Trump supporter.”

Jones also is strong on removing Pritzker. He said the recall effort is an excellent idea and one he supports wholeheartedly.