Batavia resident out to make a difference

Organizers of a recent chamber of commerce breakfast figured it was about time to ask Doug Whitley to share his knowledge about state economics, taxes and spending trends.

After all, Whitley, the president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, has lived in Batavia the past 14 years and has kept a close eye on state politics for nearly four decades. So it made sense to have him talk at a recent Tri-Cities joint chamber of commerce breakfast.

"He's been around here such a long time, but we just never asked him to be guest speaker," said Geneva chamber Executive Director Jean Gaines. "So we just asked him."

Batavia chamber President Roger Breisch said he always felt Whitley, who also has 14 years of experience as the head of the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois, was "perhaps the most effective voice for business in the state of Illinois."

After Whitley's presentation March 20 at Eagle Brook Country Club, Breisch concluded the proceedings by saying, "I am going to drop that 'perhaps' because Doug is the most effective voice."

That voice as a lobbyist for causes to protect Illinois taxpayers and business owners began coming to the forefront after Whitley left his small rural hometown of Atwood in central Illinois and graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1973.

"I was the executive director of the Association for Illinois Student Governments and we defeated the only tuition increase that the state education board asked for and didn't get," Whitley said.

As a lobbyist in Springfield about six years later in 1979, Whitley was behind an effort to halt a proposal to replace the personal property tax with another tax that he said would have had a significant negative impact on state businesses and residents.

That type of leadership, along with learning the power of having a voice in influencing political decisions in Springfield, led Whitley to his role with the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois and eventually his current leadership role with the Illinois chamber.

But Whitley felt the roots of his future taking hold as early as high school.

"I always had an interest in history and government and I was driven by the fact that you could be involved in public policy and have influence without being shallow on the issues," Whitley said. "It is a role that caught my fancy, to be a policy expert who tries to sway public decisions."

Whitley said his early formation was based solidly on his achievement of reaching Eagle Scout rank as a Boy Scout in his small hometown.

"That had a lot of influence on me because it allowed me to be exposed to a bigger world," he said. "Being a leader was always a natural to me and it has allowed me to always enjoy the jobs I have had."

In his role with the taxpayers' federation, Whitley was well known for his crusade against the state's formula for education funding. He felt local taxpayers often paid a heavy burden in part because state funding either lacked or was timed in a way that school board officials could never count on an exact amount when formulating their budgets.

With the Illinois chamber, he now encourages community chamber members to watch closely when state government formulates its budget or neglects transportation issues. He also sees a need for people to understand state government and know who is involved.

"One of the biggest challenges for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce is trying to raise the expectations of citizens in their government, particularly Illinois state government, which tends to get lost in the minds of citizens," Whitley said. "We know our mayor, we know our president and we may know someone involved in county government, but the state gets lost, and that is unfortunate because state government has such an influence on our quality of life."

Whitley said he feels that much could be improved if local chambers of commerce could go beyond "focusing on Main Street or just working on parades, festivals and maps for visitors."

A key factor that reveals how strong a local chamber can be lies in its staffing levels, Whitley said.

"Does it have a full-time staff and do the members accept the fact that running the chamber is a business like their business and are they willing to invest enough money into it to make it successful?" Whitley asked. "If they treat their chamber like it is a charity or a civic cause as opposed to a business providing a service, then there will be a problem."

In his role as president of the state's chamber of commerce, Whitley insists that a major portion of his job is simply to be a good listener -- and a good driver.

"A person could not do this job if they didn't like to drive," Whitley said, laughing. "The front seat of my car is my office as much as my offices in Chicago or Springfield."

That driving takes Whitley to employers all over the state so he can "listen to their life experiences and relay those stories to public officials, because that is a connection that is missing."

Whitley said he feels that politicians are often pressed into "making decisions without thinking through the implications" on small-business owners and the taxpayers of Illinois.

Before taking the job with the state chamber, Illinois Bell recruited him away from the taxpayers' federation to be its vice president of government affairs.

Whitley then moved his family to Batavia in 1993.

"I came here on a job transfer because I had always loved the Fox River Valley region and just felt it had a lot of character, and we've been here ever since," Whitley said. "My three children were born in Springfield, but they all graduated from Batavia High School."

Whitley will remain focused on getting business owners in the state to join the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and he encourages anyone interested to learn more on the organization's Web site at www.ilchamber.org.

"The employers in this state need to be more pro-active, and we really want to get our members to be engaged in our councils," Whitley said. "And to be successful we have to have your time, money and intellect.

"With those three things, we'll be effective. Without them, we won't."