Transit funding support in question
SPRINGFIELD -- Age-old rifts between Chicago and its suburbs, upstate and downstate have re-emerged at the Capitol, fueled by the lingering debate over whether the state should bail out the Chicago area's bus and train agencies.
In recent weeks, lawmakers from each region have lashed out at each other, heightening their divisions and now possibly threatening a half-billion dollar bailout of Metra, Pace and the CTA slated for a vote today.
Suburbanites complained about getting stuck with the lion's share of the state's tab for things they don't use.
"Before I go to any fixed income seniors in my district who have never ridden the CTA, are never gonna ride the CTA and say, 'You pay more to pay for people in Chicago's ride to work,' I think we've got to do better than this," said Palatine Republican state Sen. Matt Murphy.
Downstate lawmakers complained the state is quick to take care of Chicago but ignores everyone else. "Leadership was going to deliver for Chicago," said Republican state Rep. Chapin Rose, who represents a swath of downstate stretching from Champaign to Charleston.
Meanwhile, Chicagoans ponder why when they need help it's a "bailout," but sending millions of tax dollars to rural parts of the state is called "economic development."
"We bail you out all the time," Chicago Democratic state Sen. Donne Trotter yelled at downstate critics, saying their communities don't have enough money to do anything without the state and Chicago area's tax dollars.
These regional battle lines aren't new; they're practically as old as Illinois. From time to time, they burst to the forefront and take on newfound political significance.
Former Gov. Jim Edgar recalled Republicans getting control of the General Assembly and considering stripping control of O'Hare International Airport from Chicago. "Then, when the Democrats had control, they wanted to stick it to the suburbs and I had to say 'no,' " said Edgar, a downstate Republican who served two terms during the 1990s.
"For years it was the suburbs who were paranoid about the city. Then, when I was governor, (Chicago Mayor Richard M.) Daley was paranoid about all of us," said Edgar. "It does become pretty parochial."
It has all the emotion of the Cubs/Sox/Cardinals divisions with the added importance of tax dollars at stake. The flare-ups can be infamous.
Former Illinois Senate President James "Pate" Philip, a DuPage County Republican, once remarked that sending more tax dollars to Chicago Public Schools was like pouring money down a "rat hole."
During her 1990 U.S. Senate bid, Rockford-area Republican Congresswoman Lynn Martin used "rednecks" to refer to southern Illinois voters who might not consider supporting a woman.
In an extreme example, back in the 1800s, along the then-bustling southern Illinois banks of the Ohio River, a group from the village of Chicago asked for a loan from a Shawneetown bank. According to local legend, it was denied on the grounds Chicago was too far away from Shawneetown to amount to anything.
Downstate, there are still hard feelings around the Capitol regarding the handling of electric rate relief last year. The plan addressed higher utility bills statewide, but the biggest increases were downstate. Despite tearful testimony and instances of bills tripling, it took lawmakers and the governor nearly nine months to reach an accord and provide relief.
Now, Chicago area mass transit has nerves on edge. And it is the increasingly heated tenor of this debate that makes a second approval of a mass transit bailout anything but guaranteed. Lawmakers narrowly approved a suburban sales tax based bailout last week only to have Gov. Rod Blagojevich say he'd go along, despite having to violate a campaign promise, only if senior citizens get to ride for free.
The governor's change means the bailout heads back to the House and Senate for another round of votes, possibly today.
Transit officials have said if there's not a deal by Jan. 20, they'll cut routes, raise fares and layoff hundreds of employees.
These increasingly tumultuous regional differences could influence a second vote.
Several downstate House Democrats voted for the deal, helping to barely boost it over the 60 "yes" votes needed for approval. Similarly, Senate Democrats had to convince a downstate member to change his vote in order to get the bare minimum for approval.
However, many outer suburban and downstate lawmakers were urging their colleagues to vote against the deal, hoping to use their votes on the mass transit bailout to leverage approval of billions of dollars in state-sponsored road, bridge and school construction everywhere in Illinois.
Whether the votes will still be there is anyone's guess.
Transit at a glance
What's happening: General Assembly could vote -- again -- today for a nearly half-billion dollar mass transit bailout preventing cuts and layoffs at bus and train agencies.
Why: Lawmakers barely approved the bailout last week only to have Gov. Rod Blagojevich say it needed to include free rides for seniors. That means it needs to be approved again.
Who pays: There's a quarter-point sales tax increase in Cook and the suburban counties and a higher real estate transfer tax in Chicago. The sales tax goes up another quarter point in Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage and Will counties. Those counties can spend it on transportation or public safety.
Pocketbook impact: A quarter-point increase adds 25 cents to a $100 purchase.
Will it pass? The original deal barely cleared the House and Senate. The senior perk seems politically popular, but downstate and outer suburban lawmakers are trying to rally opposition because the deal doesn't include the statewide construction spending they want.
Doomsday: Transit officials say if a state deal isn't in place by Jan. 20, they'll cut routes, raise fares and lay off employees to make ends meet.