Pritzker says feeling safe will 'take some time' in Illinois

[November 28, 2023]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is touting his efforts to attract new businesses throughout the state. During a discussion with Crain's Chicago Business, he also discussed concerns around crime in the city.   

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker during a discussion with Crain's Chicago Business - Facebook / Governor JB Pritzker

The governor took questions Monday from the publication during a midday event and was asked about what he is doing to stop the violence in Chicago, which he says is not as bad as some believe.

"Violent crime has been coming down, actually for three years, but in particular over the last year," Pritzker said. "Shootings and murders have come down significantly. Again, it doesn't make anyone feel safer to just hear a statistic; it will take some time, but that is something people should know."

While Chicago has seen murders drop by 10% in 2023, other major crimes have significantly increased, as car thefts are up 52% and robberies by 25%.

"[Chicago Police Department] publishes statistics where you can see where the problem areas are with car thefts and robberies and so on, but shootings and murders have come down significantly," Pritzker said.

This comes after a weekend in which more than a dozen people were held at gunpoint during a three-hour time frame in Chicago. During the spree, a total of 14 robberies were reported across the city and included a victim who was shot in one of the incidents.

Pritzker also discussed the state of business in Illinois. In the past few years, the state has seen significant companies like Boeing, McDonald's and Citadel leave. Some are leaving the state because of high taxes and crime.

"Everyone wants to go back and focus on Citadel leaving, but the truth is we have attracted, seriously, like a half of dozen pretty significant expansions and or headquarters," Pritzker said.

Pritzker said they have gained more jobs through these expansions than they lost due to Citadel and others leaving.

"We have many more jobs created as a result of those expansions and the new headquarters than were lost by virtue of the companies you guys like to cite," Pritzker said. "I know everybody was down in Illinois for so many years, and it was easy to be."

Recent numbers from the Tax Foundation show that Illinois is ranked 37th for State Business Tax Climate and, 43rd in the corporate tax rate, 39th in the sales tax rate, and 45th in the property tax rate.

According to Pritzker, he and state legislators will work at addressing other issues like crime and migration ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in Chicago next year.