Rivals in 56th House race tackle transit
Mass transit issues are among the hottest facing current state legislators, but today's primary candidates can only speculate how much of a crisis Illinois will still be in by the time new lawmakers are sworn in a year from now.
In fact, 56th District state Rep. Paul Froehlich of Schaumburg was in Springfield Wednesday in hopes of voting for a long-term solution to the financial crunch and head off layoffs and service cuts later this month.
Meanwhile, his Democratic primary challenger, John Moynihan, an attorney specializing in financial cases, was equally hopeful that more than annual stop-gap measures were possible for the state's transit system.
"I can't believe they won't get it done, but I would have said the same the last two times," Moynihan said of Wednesday's possible vote.
"Unfortunately, I would not be surprised if the issue were still before me" a year from now if he does win election, Moynihan said. "Ideally, it should have been settled a year ago."
Froehlich was optimistic about the legislature's ability to come up with a plan through at least 2015, but not enough to guarantee it.
"If it falls apart this week, that's a bad omen, because we're not supposed to come back the rest of the month," Froehlich said.
Even if the state comes up with a plan for the next several years, however, there will be new transit goals beyond solving financial crises, he said. These include the proposed STAR commuter rail line, the possibility of a third major airport for the Chicago area and, more locally, additional tollway interchanges in both Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.
In fact, the fate of the STAR line, which Froehlich supports, is partly tied to getting out of the current financial crisis. The Federal Transit Administration recently told Metra that its New Start projects, including the STAR line, had been put on hold pending a transit funding solution in Springfield.
If Illinois can't provide matching funds, it could lose $1.5 billion in federal money for the STAR line, which would connect O'Hare International Airport with suburbs to the west and south.
If the current funding problems are solved in the near future, moving the STAR line along would be one of the issues before the legislature for some time to come, Froehlich said. Its implementation is still considered to be about a decade away.
Froehlich also believes a southwestern airport serving Naperville and Will County areas would serve growing demand there in the long term. Among the problems, though, will be determining which local governments will control it, he said.
In another transportation issue, Froehlich still supports the northern extension of Route 53 but concedes that it would need to be a tollway to provide a funding source.
Moynihan said he'd be a strong supporter of public transportation if elected. He'd even like to see the state add taxes to parking in downtown Chicago to both promote public transportation as well as raise money for current transit shortfalls.
While the STAR line and a third airport are generally in line with his desire to prepare for the future, Moynihan would still like to look at both plans more closely to be sure that the demand for and benefits of their use would outweigh their costs.
Calculating these benefits, he said, would entail more than just looking at finances. It also would require weighing environmental benefits and the decrease in gasoline demand by people no longer driving from Naperville all the way to Schaumburg or O'Hare.
The primary is Feb. 5. The 56th District includes Schaumburg and parts of Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Roselle and Bloomingdale.
Whoever wins will face Republican Anita Forte-Scott in the November general election.