Quincy Reporter

Quincy activist Mecki Kosin is slamming what she sees as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s blatant overreach in his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“His ability to render executive orders on the situation was over a long time ago,” Kosin told the Quincy Reporter. “He can’t just make legislation all on his own. I know legislators have begged him to reconvene the General Assembly, but he won’t. I think it’s because he knows they want to work on ethics reform and they are going to want to tale about Speaker Mike Madigan and everything he involved in.”

As part of his battle against the coronavirus, the governor is pushing a rule that paves the way for businesses to be fined up to $2,500 for failing to enforce regulations for face coverings and social distancing. Pritzker is defending the proposed new rules as tools that will aid law enforcement, local boards of health, school districts and the general public in enforcing the use of face coverings and social gathering restrictions.

Kosin counters it’s just more targeting of small business owners across the state.

“It’s just not fair,” she said. “I own a travel agency and often I’m the only one in my office and for that reason I don’t wear a mask. When people come in, I give them the choice of what we do because there’s more than 6 feet between us. As a business owner, can I still be fined? There is just so much uncertainty in what he’s doing. He needs to call the legislators back and start working on this and the issue of corruption for real.”

Back in May, Pritzker tried enacting similar legislation, but withdrew it before a planned Joint Commission on Administrative Rules hearing amid much criticism.

“A lot of what we’re dealing with stems from the corruption that’s at the bottom of everything,” Kosin added. “Until we deal with, nothing’s really going to change.”