By Greg Halbleib
BLOOMINGTON – Small Business Week is the latest reason for Governor Bruce Rauner to renew his call for a more business-friendly Illinois.
Governor Rauner is visiting small businesses around the state this week, including a stop yesterday at the maple sirup store at Funks Grove. He told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn the Illinois business climate is stagnating.
“Seventeen years in Illinois and no net new jobs,” Rauner said. “In that same time frame, government spending has gone up 66 percent. Stunning, unsustainable. And anybody who thinks let’s just raise taxes to make up for that gap? That’ll just make the problem worse. That’ll just push more small businesses out of the state.”
PODCAST: Listen here to Gov. Rauner’s interview with WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn.
The governor said his proposed reforms for how lawmakers are elected are directly tied to the budget process.
“Term limits and fair maps would restore democracy and stop the concentration of power,” Rauner said. “Small businesses want to see democracy restored. They want to see competitive general elections. If they have more confidence in our state, they’ll be more likely to come here, to invest here, to grow here. It has everything to do with balanced budgets for the long term.”
Rauner said he remains optimistic that a budget will be developed, but he’ll stand firm on his ideas to grow Illinois.
“This change is taking too long,” the Republican governor said. “I’m extraordinarily frustrated. I am not a patient person, but I am persistent. We’ve got to stay persistent. We will change the system so that we have a long-term better future, and we will get there by staying strong.”
