Working for Illinois Caucus

A Steeleville man has been appointed to replace former state Rep. Jerry Costello II, and he has a familiar last name.

Nathan Reitz, the son of former state Rep. Dan Reitz, was appointed by the Democratic Party chairman in Perry, Randolph, Monroe and St. Clair Counties to finish Costello’s term. On Tuesday, Costello was named as the director of law enforcement for the Illinois Department of Resources.

“As a lifelong Southern Illinoisan, I know that our community deserves a representative who will continue fighting every day for Southern Illinois and our values,” Nathan Reitz said. “Having spent my career in the energy industry, I am determined to help grow our local economy and making the decisions that help create new jobs. As state representative, I will fight every day to protect our Second Amendment rights, provide tax relief and responsible budget making, and make sure that Southern Illinois always has a strong voice in Springfield. There is a lot to accomplish, and I look forward to working together with my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, to make Southern Illinois and our state a better place to live and work in.”

Among the issues facing the general assembly, where Democrats have supermajorities in both chambers, is whether to support key parts of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s agenda. The first year governor has called for going to a progressive income tax system in the state and legalizing recreational marijuana to help bring additional revenue to the state.

Costello, the son of former Congressman Jerry Costello, opposed both measures.

The Illinois Republican Party was quick to criticize the appointment.

“The fix is in. One of the last votes Nathan Reitz’s father, former State Rep. Dan Reitz, took was Mike Madigan’s 2011 tax hike,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said. “Now, Pritzker and Madigan want one of the first votes of Nathan Reitz to be yet another tax hike on Illinois families and small businesses. Tax-hiking is the Reitz family business. Reitz must follow Jerry Costello’s lead and oppose the Pritzker-Madigan-backed graduated income tax. If Reitz supports the tax hike, voters and taxpayers will make Reitz’s tenure in the General Assembly a short one.”