Sen. Brady: End state subsidy forced by anti-business policies

[June 30, 2009]  CHICAGO -- State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, said Monday that Gov. Pat Quinn should reject a new $10 million state subsidy for supermarkets and food companies in Chicago because the city itself has the key to resolving the problem of making healthy food available for thousands, but has blocked the private economic development efforts of "big box" stores and grocers.

"Once again, the city is asking the state to solve Chicago's problems. We're in the middle of a budget crisis in Springfield, and every dollar counts," Brady said. "The availability of fresh produce and healthy food is crucial in many neighborhoods, but state taxpayers are being asked to subsidize city food retailers and developers to the tune of $10 million, when the city itself has turned its back on retail development, millions of dollars in tax revenues and thousands of new jobs for Chicago residents.

"I'm calling on Gov. Quinn to veto the money in the state budget for the fresh-food initiative, not because it would not address a need in our urban neighborhoods, but because once again state taxpayers are being asked to spend money that we simply don't have today," Brady said. "There is a much better way to meet that need in low-income neighborhoods with private investment that will yield jobs, revenues and a better quality of life for residents of now underserved areas."

The 44th District senator said he will also ask Gov. Quinn and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to support legislation he is sponsoring that would prevent municipalities across Illinois from unfairly restricting "big box" stores from locating within their borders so that retailers can bring economic development and new jobs to these areas.

Senate Bill 2186 would bar a municipality from enacting ordinances that prohibit or restrict a retailer from locating within the municipality if the retailer otherwise meets all necessary requirements for construction and development.

"Illinois has lost 700,000 jobs over the last six years because of an administration that was not friendly to business and job creation. We need to bring those jobs back, each of which means about $4,200 in state tax revenues, without higher tax rates. We don't do that with policies that are anti-business and anti-investment," Brady said.

Each mega-store could generate an estimated $5 million annually in sales tax revenues for the city and state, and create job opportunities for about 400 employees. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce believes the city could support 10 additional mega-retail stores with full-service groceries.

"That's $50 million a year in sales tax revenues alone and 4,000 new revenue-producing, full-time jobs the city apparently doesn't want," Brady said. "Municipal leaders who are trying to keep businesses from locating within their corporate boundaries -- for whatever reasons -- are denying their citizens jobs during a time of 25-year record unemployment, limiting much-needed city and state tax revenues and ignoring quality-of-life concerns in many neighborhoods."

Senate Bill 2186 addresses situations such as an attempt in 2006 by the Chicago City Council to enact a "big box store" ordinance that would set wage and benefit standards for large retail stores such as Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Target. Daley vetoed that ordinance, but the threat of another effort to pass a "big box store" ordinance has squelched economic development opportunities by mega-retailers within the city's corporate boundaries.

"Not one new job has been created by Chicago's 'anti-big box store' attitude. But the city has laid off hundreds of workers from good-paying jobs because of its revenue shortfalls," Brady said.

[Text from file sent on behalf of Sen. Bill Brady by Illinois Senate Republican staff]