Chicago City Wire

Illinois Opportunity Project (IOP) President Mark Cavers is pushing for changes in Illinois.

“We believe Illinois should be a place where families and businesses have every opportunity to flourish and thrive, but for that to happen we have to have an honest and efficient government that serves regular Illinoisans and today we know that isn't the case,” Cavers said during a recent news conference. “Government too often serves the politically connected because the political establishment, special interest and insider lobbyists have too much power and are not accountable to the people.”

Cavers argues one of the ways that abuse is manifested is in the level of corruption that has hit Springfield.

“Corruption has convoluted government at every level from small-town city councils to the state Capitol and we are feeling the consequences,” he said. “Over the last generation, it's become increasingly more difficult to make a living, raise a family, get an education and pursue the American dream in Illinois.”

Cavers laments things only seem to get worse.

 “Now the official myth is that elected officials will police themselves and reign in the habitual corruption, but we have seen that isn't the case,” he said. “True reform won't come from the halls of power in Springfield. It must come from the people. So, we've talked with hundreds of activists, volunteers, local organizations, local leaders and elected officials across the state who are excited to be given the power and responsibility to recall their elected officials.”

Cavers said he is hoping more people will be moved to take a stand.

“At IOP, we are excited to stand with Sen. (Jason) Barickman (R-Bloomington) and Rep. (Mark) Batinick (R-Plainfield) and a statewide movement of people to help provide voters with tools of accountability to hold their government officials to a higher standard. And so, working with this statewide network, we're starting to collect petition signatures to place an advisory question of public policy on the November 2022 statewide ballot. The question we seek to put on the ballot will simply ask shall Illinois voters be given the power to recall their elected officials.”

HJRCA0004 seeks to amend the Suffrage and Elections Article of the Illinois Constitution to the point of allowing for the “recall of all state executive branch officers, legislative leaders, the auditor general, members of the General Assembly and local government officials.”

The measure would also change the standards for being able to recall a governor and would become effective immediately after being adopted.

“A recall movement will educate voters on the culture of corruption, its consequences and its solutions,” Cavers said. “We will build political pressure to encourage the General Assembly to give voters the right to recall their elected officials. Our movement isn’t about one person because Illinois problems aren't about one person. This is about ending Illinois' corrosive culture of corruption.”

Cavers said he felt compelled to speak out based on the way the legislation proposed by the two Republican lawmakers has stalled without so much as getting a committee hearing.