FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 1999

CONTACT:

Jacqueline Leavy, 312.939.7198

Chicagoans Call on Gov. Ryan to Put "Taxpayers FIRST" in Public Works Bill

Members of the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group today called on Gov. George Ryan to include strong accountability measures in his "Illinois FIRST" program. NCBG said Tuesday that without full public disclosure of spending, Illinois FIRST could become a pork-barrel feast instead of an engine for statewide economic development. Coalition members also question who will foot the bill for the public works package.

NCBG, which represents scores of Chicago neighborhoods, strongly supports more State investment in our basic infrastructure, including schools, public transportation, water and sewer projects, and industrial infrastructure. Our crumbling roads and industrial streets, overcrowded schools, and inadequate public transit erode the competitiveness of our businesses, detract from our communities’ quality of life, and undermine our property owners’ home value. But simply giving a blank check to state legislators without public oversight of where those funds are spent will not solve our State’s infrastructure problems.

In fact, the pork-barrel projects have already begun to surface. The Chicago Tribune reported on May 17 that Gov. Ryan’s preliminary project list includes $507,000 to decorate Attorney General Jim Ryan’s Springfield office, $25 million for a ballpark in Peoria, $121 million for a music theater in East St. Louis, and $40 million for improvements to Ulysses S. Grant’s Galena home.

"Illinois FIRST will only be successful if elected officials have to stand up in front of their constituents and justify each and every dollar they spend," said NCBG Board President Mildred Wiley. "Otherwise, there’s no telling how Springfield will spend this money."

Chicagoans remember the waste and excess that surrounded Illinois’ last large-scale public works program – Gov. James Thompson’s "Build Illinois" initiative. While many worthwhile projects were built with Build Illinois funds, too many dollars went to questionable projects such as a golf course next to Sen. James "Pate" Philip’s Wood Dale home. Build Illinois wasn’t that long ago, and the cast of characters is largely the same. In fact, then-Lt. Governor Ryan served as Thompson’s point man on Build Illinois, and had responsibility to oversee which deals were done.

NCBG and the coalition of taxpayers we represent demand that Springfield adopts an Agenda for Accountability as a cornerstone of the Illinois FIRST package:

• Provide the public with a complete list of projects that will be built with the Illinois FIRST dollars no later than June 30 of this year. The State should have an annual capital budget that commits the State to disclose which projects will receive funding for the year. At year’s end, the public and the Illinois General Assembly should get a report on which projects were completed, and which are planned for the coming year.
• Require our local transit agencies and municipal governments – including Chicago – to do the same. Otherwise, how can we know for sure that our local government agencies are spending the Illinois FIRST money on the priorities our community really needs? For example, the CTA should use some of its Illinois FIRST funds to restore vital transit serves that it cut back in our neighborhoods last year.
• Require local municipal governments – including the City of Chicago – and transit agencies that are spending Illinois FIRST dollars to follow a solid community participation and public input process. After the State completes its preliminary project list, legislators should hold public hearings throughout the state in July and August before issuing the first Illinois FIRST bonds this fall.
• Take a closer look at who’s footing the bill for Illinois FIRST. Make sure that the revenue plan is not regressive. Ensure that everyone with a stake in Illinois’ future pays their fair share.