From the desk of John Lopez: Gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan (R, Petersburg) impresses with his accurate identification of the source of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) brazenness last week unilaterally forcing Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to close and Republican primary voters take note of this political home run

UPDATE 1/10/22:

When I’m wrong and been fooled, I say I’m wrong and fooled.

More learned people on HB 2275 have corrected me that all the bill did was give CTU the same power as every public sector union in the state already has.

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From the Jesse Sullivan for Governor campaign press release of January 5, and social media follow-up:

“I am deeply disturbed that the Chicago Teachers Union has once again overridden the preferences of most parents to force children into remote learning. The CDC cites studies that show children are less likely to contract and transmit COVID in the classroom than when at home. CTU is unnecessarily disrupting the development of our children and the lives of our families in a way that makes everyone less safe.

“Whether or not you live in Chicago, this is a massive problem. It is a direct result of a governor who continues to prioritize his own political interests over the needs of working people in our state.

“Last year, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 2275, giving the teachers union more power than virtually any government union in the nation, allowing them to bargain over everything from class schedules to hours and places of instruction.

“It was just another example of how Pritzker was willing to sacrifice the best interests of our children for his own political gain.”

After Sullivan’s campaign issued the above press release, he posted the following addendum on Facebook late Wednesday morning:

“JB Pritzker won’t speak out because he’s the reason this is happening. He surrendered to CTU, giving them virtually unchecked power, at the expense of parents and students. We need a governor who has the best interest of YOU in mind – not his own political interests.

“As your governor, we will fight side by side to build ONE ILLINOIS, where neither your child’s education nor the safety of your family is not determined by your ZIP code.”

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More from the desk of John Lopez: I’m very impressed.

And readers of McHenry County Blog know it takes a lot to impress me from any candidate, let alone a first-time statewide Millennial candidate like Jesse Sullivan.

The Sullivan campaign not only accurately diagnosed what was happening, but within a day of the onset of the CTU’s actions to close down Chicago Public Schools last week, he traced it to specific policy signed by Governor Pritzker into law last April.

And Sullivan is right about HB 2275 which was passed by the state Senate in the waning hours of the 101st General Assembly nearly a year ago, after it had passed the House at the very end of the spring session of 2019.

Like most everything else of significance in Springfield, the legislation was passed without Republican support, so not only Pritzker, but all the Democrats serving in Springfield during the 101st General Assembly from 2019 into 2021, must own the CTU vs. CPS mess.

While HB 2275 only applies to the city of Chicago, combined with other Leftist pro-union labor legislation in both DC and in other states, Governor Pritzker and Illinois Democrats’ kowtowing to legislation, plus a constitutional amendment in November to favor Big Labor, provides the Sullivan campaign a significant opportunity to score.

And Sullivan’s campaign, in my honest opinion, hit a home run last week.

Looks like the Sullivan campaign’s late 2021 hiring of campaign consultant Kristin Davison starting to pay off. Davison was the general consultant from Axiom Strategies who guided Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s campaign to victory on November 2.

Youngkin will be sworn-in as governor on Saturday.

While Sullivan’s campaign call-out may not have been noticed amid the news of COVID and the Capitol Riot anniversary of January 6, something more significant for Sullivan occurred on January 6.

The birth of his and wife’s son Will.

Here’s the link to the video greeting of the proud father from Saturday, sending his right-to-life stance, with baby Will in his arms and his son Beau saying “hi”.

Of the 7 declared Republican gubernatorial candidates, looks like Sullivan had the best, first week of 2022 in more ways than one.

The story in Chicago City Wire (a Local Government Information Services publication) can be viewed here.