Regional benefits of infrastructure plan
Chicago is a global city. But without capital investment, we will not maintain this status. That is why the General Assembly and Gov. Blagojevich must join together to pass a capital investment and infrastructure package before the year ends. This is not simply about roads and bridges, although these are the backbone that helps our businesses thrive. This is about investment in all forms of infrastructure -- schools, airports, rail networks, mass transit, science and technology facilities, among others -- that give Illinois a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Invest now, dividends will follow.
The capital plan currently being debated in Springfield will provide ample returns. The capital plan will stimulate our economy, create jobs, and modernize infrastructure across Chicagoland, and throughout the region. Implementing this plan means we choose to invest in modernizing and streamlining our rail networks, to continue the Chicago area's advancement in becoming the hub of biotechnology, to expand O'Hare Airport to broaden our reach to the world, and to invest $340 million to build new schools in Chicago alone, improving the training of the work force of tomorrow. We must choose to lay the foundation to attract innovators and corporations to the Chicago area, and to encourage entrepreneurship right here at home.
Now is the time for the General Assembly and governor to act and pass a capital plan. Now is the time to invest in our city and our local economy. We must move the Chicago region to the next tier in the global marketplace.
Jerry Roper
President and CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
James Tyree
Chairman, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; chairman and CEO, Mesirow Financial