DECATUR - State Representatives Bill Mitchell (R-Forsyth) and Adam Brown (R- Decatur) have introduced a House Joint Resolution (HJR 0052) which seeks to separate Cook County from the rest of Illinois and authorizes a statewide referendum on the issue.
“When I talk to constituents, one of the biggest things I hear is ‘Chicago should be its own state.’ Downstate families are tired of Chicago dictating its views to the rest of us. You only have to look at the election results from last year’s governor’s race to see the problem. Cook County carried Pat Quinn, while almost every downstate county supported Bill Brady. Our voters’ voices were drowned out by Chicago,” said Mitchell.
Illinois state government is almost entirely controlled by Chicago Democrats. Governor Pat Quinn, Secretary of State Jesse White and Attorney General Lisa Madigan are all from Chicago, as are Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan, who has ruled the Illinois House for more than two decades.
Representative Brown believes Chicago’s domination of state government has hurt downstate families.
via Decatur Tribune
Brown and Mitchell want the state to have a chance to vote on the measure on the ballot. Slim to none chances of the Chicago Democrat-run House allowing HR 0052 out of committee in order to get on next year's primary ballot, but the buzz is certainly something that could increase over the next few months.
