State officials should be business advocates

It was very disappointing to read less than flattering comments by state Rep. Jack Franks about Sears Holdings Corp. in your newspaper recently. If his comments were limited to the question of incentives I would have no issue because that is for public discourse. But his comments were about the future of the company itself.

It is a great disservice to the 20,000 Illinois employees and the quarter of a million more throughout the rest of the country to disparage a local employer during one of the worst economic declines in recent memory. The truth is businesses go through ebbs and flows often tied to the economy. What doesn’t change is the commitment the company has had to Illinois and the 20,000 people who derive their livelihood from it.

Everyone can have an opinion, and certainly all are free to express themselves, but our elected officials should be held to a higher standard and defend homegrown Illinois businesses like Sears rather than cause anxiety and anger within the loyal employee base of the company. Those same elected officials should be focused on partnering with business to create a more friendly business climate that can revitalize our economy.

This letter was stimulated by the comments about Sears but it is really about a negative attitude that some of our elected officials exhibit to companies that employ thousands of Illinoisans, pay millions in taxes, generate local sales taxes and generally contribute to the economic well-being of Illinois. With an unemployment rate still exceeding 9 percent in Illinois and across the country, it is time to speak positively about Illinois employers, especially those who are born and bred in Illinois! Stop the rhetoric.

Rob Karr

Senior vice president

Illinois Retail Merchants Association