Monitor closely the coming windfall

Bedford Falls, here we come. We hope.

To hear some politicians talk, the recession-weary cities and towns of Illinois are about to be transformed by a $31 billion torrent of state spending. But, for each community, it remains to be seen whether the result will be the idyllic and bustling hometown in which George Bailey actually grew up in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" or the rollicking and sleazy Pottersville that Bedford Falls would have become without him.

The pictures are extremes, of course. But there is no question the massive construction spending program inked by Gov. Patrick Quinn holds out both the promise of great progress and the threat of much distress.

The promise emanates from some of the staggering numbers - $2.8 billion for road building and repair, $1.8 billion for public transit, $1.3 billion for school construction, all just for starters.

The danger lurks in the dark recesses of a key mechanism used to fund it all - video poker.

We share the concern many community leaders have expressed in recent months for reconciling the unsavory funding source with the clear needs of our communities, schools, parks and roads. Like these leaders, we can't help feeling more than a little nervous about the prospects of so great an expansion of gambling.

And, it must be said, we are also more than a little nervous simply about how well the money will be managed at all levels. Thirty-one billion dollars, even a government official will acknowledge, is a lot of money. And while lawmakers stress they've done more than ever to make the process transparent and limit the possibilities for graft and corruption, there is ample room in any effort of this size for unscrupulous insiders to divert a portion for themselves or their friends.

So, in short, the process bears watching at all levels. It bears watching so we're sure we get what our $31 billion is supposed to be paying for, and it bears watching to ensure that in generating the money in the first place, we don't surrender our communal soul. On either front, we need the help not just of lawmakers themselves but of the local officials who eventually will be the recipients, and stewards, of the grants - the $40.6 million for a Harper College facility, for example, or the $1 million for work along Elgin's riverfront or even the comparatively paltry $300,000 for street improvements in Streamwood. Local officials need to watch the spending closely - and, inasmuch as the law gives them a role in regulating video poker, they also need to be monitoring its effects on their towns.

Nor are you left out of the picture. You'll find a 90-page overview listing each item of spending at JobsNow.illinois.gov. Browse the site soon. See how much is coming for state and local projects, and make it a point to talk to your local village board or state lawmaker about it.

With your involvement, the coming spending spree could mean something truly valuable to your town. Without it ... well, which Bedford Falls do you want to live in?