Dupage Policy Journal

Political commentator and former Illinois House member Jeanne Ives went on Twitter June 19 to criticize Gov. J.B. Pritzker's statement on equity being the cornerstone of state hiring.

“‘Equity needs to be the cornerstone of the state's workforce if we want to effectively serve the diverse needs of the people of Illinois,’ said Governor JB Pritzker," Ives tweeted. "In other words, qualifications don't matter. No wonder, the tollway sent us 5 transponders when we only ordered one.” 

Both Ives and Pritzker were commenting on the report, "Strategic Recommendations for an Accessible, Inclusive, and Responsive Workforce Development System in Illinois," issued by Pritzker's Commission on Workforce Equity and Access. The commission was convened in 2021 to review the state's workforce development systems and to craft the strategic report around the $40 million investment Pritzker made to aid in workforce recovery after layoffs during the pandemic.                 

"This report is a strong step on the path towards making significant improvements to the efficiency and fairness of our state workforce development system, and I look forward to seeing the impact of the commission's work over the next several years," Pritzker said in the press release that drew Ives’ ire. The press release also gave examples of recommendations from the commission, including to "legislatively create a Chief Workforce Officer in the Governor's Office" and rename the Illinois Workforce Innovation board the "Illinois Workforce Council."                

Ives’ tweet linked to a Prairie State Wire news story that said the report focused on “issues of equity and structural barriers to access.” The commission was headed by Deputy Gov. Andy Manar and State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford. Over a period of 10 months, it met with more than 40 people and organizations, the Prairie State Wire reported.                      

In a followup tweet, Ives wrote, “Democrats - all talk -  in charge for decades and Illinois is the worst in the nation for racial economic equality." She linked to a Center Square news report on a study by Wallethub, which concluded that Illinois had the largest racial disparity in income of any state.