Link bad for Lake economy, residents
I'm concerned for the citizens of Lake County. Our local economy is stagnant, and what's worse is that our county is resting in the hands of people who have their own interests and pocketbooks in mind.
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the unemployment rate for Illinois in June was 6.8 percent, the highest in 15 years and much greater than the national rate of 5.5 percent. Locally, the Lake-Kenosha metropolitan area ranks seventh out of 12 with an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in June, up from 4.4 percent in May. Though the entire nation is in a recession, Lake County is about to crumble if Sen. Terry Link doles out the sucker punch he's been planning for years.
It is a well-known fact that Link wants to get rid of the manufacturing facilities on the Waukegan Harbor and replace them with real estate developments. Sounds like a good plan, right? WRONG. Here's why:
If the facilities close, 400 workers will be out of a job, and with the state of the economy in a downward spiral and the unemployment rate at a 15-year high, it'll be virtually impossible for those workers to find jobs in the area. What's more, if those facilities are replaced with upscale, lakefront condos, the only people who will benefit will be Link and some real estate developers who'll get the contracts, especially if you consider the tens of thousands of dollars he's received from developers over the last 10 years. Coincidence? Not likely. He's also against dredging and cleaning up the Harbor to keep deliveries from being made to those facilities. Basically, if he can't replace them, he'll choke them to death. Then he'll have room for his casino boat.
Terry Link's special agenda is a selfish, political one, and Lake County cannot afford to keep him in office. Our best bet? To make a meaningful showing at the polls this November and dethrone the tyrant who threatens the well-being of District 30. What's more his challenger, Keith Gray, is a known successful businessman, environmentalist and lifelong resident of this district. He has said he'll make sure Waukegan Harbor is cleaned, dredged and the factories remain in the harbor (which mean the jobs will, too). If Terry Link is the answer, it must have been a stupid question.
RonneeSue Scott
Waukegan