Jonas Petty isn’t sure which message he rejects more: the one coming from Springfield that he says suggests hard work will not be rewarded or the one he finds to be too often ushered by members of his party that says nothing can be done about what has gone wrong in the state until House Speaker Mike Madigan is removed from power.
“You want to create an environment that has people believing working hard matters,” Petty told West Central Reporter. “As I talk to people, especially in the business community, they don’t feel that anymore."
The effect of that can be found in a new Census Bureau study showing 33,700 people left Illinois over a yearlong period ending July 2016, paving the way for Pennsylvania to overtake the state as the country’s fifth most populous.
Jonas Petty
The Illinois Policy Institute reported the raw dip in numbers represents the worst decline of any other state and the third-worst decline across the country in terms of percentages.
Researchers also noted that at a time when all of the area’s neighboring states are experiencing population growth, Illinois’ decline represents the fourth straight year the state has trended downward in that category.
Overall, data shows that from July 2016 to July 2017, nearly 115,000 residents left Illinois on net for other states and over the past seven years that number swells to almost 643,000.
“Right now, leaders in Springfield are taking advantage of hard workers,” Petty, who is running in the Republican primary against state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) in the 100th House District, said.
“Young people are especially rejecting that approach, as they are the ones more apt to be leading the charge out of state,” he said. “Look at our universities; kids don’t even want to go to school here in Illinois anymore. The certain group of bureaucrats running the state are also in charge of the universities.”
As for how he thinks GOP lawmakers need to change their approach and mindset, Petty said he has grown tired of Republicans who simply concede their hands are tied until Madigan (D-Chicago) is removed.
“I don’t buy that anymore,” he said. “That’s become the Republican football. We are a party of accountability, and I know the spirit of the Central Illinois worker. We just have to unleash them. I feel a duty to help right the ship given the tools I’m blessed to have.”
To get the state back on track, Petty said lawmakers need to address what he calls “foundational issues,” such as tax reform and term limits.
“We also need to attack welfare reform,” he said. “You look at what’s happening and the people now coming here are using those services far more than those leaving did and that also isn’t sustainable.”
The 100th House District includes all or parts of Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon and Scott.
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