House Minority Leader says political imbalance hurting Illinoisans

(The Center Square) – The House Minority Leader says the political imbalance in Illinois government is bad for public policy.

State Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, represents the 89th district, which consists of all or parts of Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties in northern Illinois.

McCombie spoke at Southern Illinois University’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute to talk politics and to preview the November election.

McCombie said the political imbalance with few Republicans is unhealthy for public policy.

“Forty out of 118, regardless of politics, being that upside-down really makes it very difficult for us to have good conversations under the dome,” said McCombie.

She said the main reason why there are so many Democrats in office in Illinois is because of gerrymandering when drawing up legislative districts.

“This last cycle you saw 70,000 more votes for House Republican representatives than you did Democrats, but Democrats have two-thirds of the seats and all the constitutional offices,” said McCombie. “It’s because of the maps.”

McCombie recently criticized House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch after he created what he called a "diverse" working group on Illinois’ public transit system but didn’t include any Republican lawmakers.

“The Speaker’s actions show a blatant disregard for bipartisan cooperation that is necessary to serve our communities effectively. It’s deeply disappointing to see Speaker Welch continue to dismiss the concerns of millions of Illinoisans by pushing a self-serving agenda that disregards the voices of the Republican caucus and the woman who leads them. The people of Illinois deserve better than this one-sided approach," she said in a statement.

McCombie said she is hopeful Republicans can pick up a few additional seats in the November election.

“We’re not going to get out of a supermajority anytime soon but just to show there’s a need, a want and a desire for change,” said McCombie.