A shocking new letter obtained by the Chicago Tribune exposes Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s criticisms of the SAFE-T Act to be nothing more than campaign bluster and lies — a pattern for Ken Griffin’s handpicked candidate.
Irvin’s letter from the day the SAFE-T Act was signed not only praised the bill itself, but also lauded the work that went into getting the legislation across the finish line.
“It has been a pleasure working with you at the State level and I commend you for your leadership in connection with the passage of HB 3653,” Irvin wrote in a letter on Feb. 22, 2021.
When given the opportunity to provide feedback on the legislation, Irvin lauded the bill and its passage but did not mention any of the provisions he suddenly seems to find objectionable. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Irvin did an about-face as soon as Griffin started bankrolling his campaign for governor — he continues to get caught dodging or flip flopping on key issues. See highlights from the story below:
“Irvin’s letter threatens to undermine the key positioning he has taken in his bid for the GOP nomination in June and the right to take on Pritzker in the Nov. 8 general election. It also represents the latest dichotomy in positions taken by Irvin as Aurora mayor versus Irvin the Republican candidate for governor.
“As mayor, Irvin hailed Pritzker’s leadership on COVID-19 mitigation efforts and pushed for uniform endorsement of them across municipal lines while he also backed masking requirements for local businesses. But as a candidate for governor, Irvin said he opposes coronavirus mandates and supports more local control of pandemic restrictions…”
“In seeking reelection last year as Aurora’s first Black mayor, Irvin said in a candidate questionnaire that he supported ‘Black Lives Matter strongly and passionately.’ But in his campaign announcement, on TV commercials and in the Newsmax interview, Irvin has repeatedly said, ‘all lives matter’ — a phrase associated with conservatives supporting police and attacking the Black Lives Matter movement that grew out of incidents of police violence…”
“Irvin’s campaign comments about the criminal justice package are in sharp contrast to those in his letter to Sims where he stated, ‘I commend you for your leadership in connection with the passage” of the measure.'”
###
