By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – It’s fashionable for some to criticize Gov. JB Pritzker for how he has handled the coronavirus response. But he is giving credit where credit’s due. Asked if any of the criticism is constructive, the governor mentioned one good idea someone had.
“A Republican, Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), very early on called me, and we had a long conversation about putting in place a mask mandate,” Pritzker said Monday. “That may not have been politically advantageous for him to be so public about it, but i think we have all learned the mask mandate is the most important thing that we’ve done and is probably the single thing that has kept the most people healty and alive.”
Pritzker’s giving one-on-one interviews to reporters on the occasion of the anniversary of the first Illinois coronavirus death – March 16, 2020 – when Patricia Frieson passed away.
On another topic, Pritzker said the eventual winning candidate for the Democratic Party of Illinois chairmanship, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Matteson), got into the race late, and he helped recruit Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris. Both Kelly and Harris are Black women.
Asked about the sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Pritzker said we must “believe and respect” the women accusing him of sexual harassment – whlie waiting for the investigation to play out.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
