Kendall County Times

Kendall County Republican Party Chairman James Marter fears Illinois residents are being forced to pay too high a price for all of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s insecurities.

“Right now, we’ve reached the point where we’re robbing of children of opportunities in life that many of them may never see again,” Marter told the Kendall County Times of the governor’s ongoing decision not to allow high school athletes resuming playing because of COVID-19 concerns. “I see groups of young people playing sports in the neighborhood, in organized leagues and at the parks. So, I don’t see why the governor thinks he has to continue taking the position he is.”

Pritzker recently doubled down on his decision not to allow most student-athletes to take the field over COVID-19 concerns, sparking protests from parents, students and coaches all across the state. 

“College football and other leagues are already back playing,” Marter added. “We can’t just shut down our lives out of fear of his virus. We still have to move forward and it’s just not right to expect people to put life on hold forever. He doesn’t have the constitutional rights to demand that people to do that. Right now, he’s ignoring a court order by doing what he’s doing.”

In addition, the Illinois State High School Association fired off a letter to Pritzker requesting that they be allowed “to resume control over determining the resumption of sports and activities.” Currently, the two sides are allowing teams across the state to practice this month under specific COVID-19 guidelines.

“We can do what we’ve learned and make things as safe as they can be for everyone involved,” he said. “At the end of the day, no one is going to force any one to play or to go out and watch if they’re not comfortable with it. At the same time, we have to let people make those decisions for themselves.”