Gov. Bruce Rauner hopes to enlist grass roots support as he addresses Illinois’ economic woes.

The Republican chief executive used a campaign-style tour last week to enlist support from local and county governments for proposals he says will promote growth and decentralize decision-making.

“We’re going to change the direction of our state,” said Rauner during a 30-minute appearance at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva last Tuesday. “We need grassroots momentum. Endorse the concept of choice, and we’ll convince the legislature.”

The visit was part of a 17 county, six-day tour that began in Chicago, moved to the suburbs and on to Winnebago and Rock Island counties before heading to central and southern Illinois.

“Our core agenda is to empower local voters,” said Rauner, speaking without notes before an audience of local officials in Geneva. “Voters should decide (whether) mandates have to come from Springfield — unfunded mandates, regulations coming on your schools and local governments. I say no.

“Let local voters (also) decide costs within government,” he said. “One of the big challenges is the cost structure and the work rules in government. I believe local voters should decide what gets collectively bargained and what is not collectively bargained.”

Rauner’s Illinois Turnaround agenda also includes fixing a “broken” pension system,  a property tax freeze, changes in the state’s worker’s compensation program, lawsuit reform and term limits for members of the Illinois General Assembly.

“Right now we’re surrounded by Right to Work states and we’ve been bleeding jobs and losing manufacturing and we’ve been losing for years,” Rauner said. “Illinois is not on the list of employment empowerment, (with) employment flexibility.”

Right to Work laws in some states prohibit compelling employees from joining or paying dues to a union as a condition of employment.

“I do not support Illinois becoming a Right to Work state,” Rauner said. “I’m not in favor of that but we can allow our local voters to control whether they are Right to Work at the local level.”

While Democrats hold veto-proof majorities in both houses of the General Assembly, Rauner said there’s plenty of common ground for agreement.

“We all have the same goals,” he said.  “A booming economy, with great careers for everyone in Illinois, the best schools in America and a reasonable tax burden where we’re getting value for our tax dollars.

“We all agree on that. We have slightly different approaches on how to get there.”

Rauner said he and the legislature cooperated to fix a $1.6 billion hole in the current budget.

“We were able to fix it without raising taxes and borrowing, that’s a big deal,” he said. “We did it on a bipartisan basis. Now I’m traveling the state meeting with Democrats and Republicans talking about the transformation that we need to bring about.”

Chris Lauzen, the Kane County board chairman, called on local officials to listen to Rauner’s plans, starting with a consensus in areas of agreement.

“Your approach is much more inclusive, accommodating and constructive,” said Lauzen. “You have offered 12 1/2 million people a whole cornucopia of ideas. Your objective is not just change, it’s improvement. Your expectation is not just hope, but results.”