 Indiana and New Jersey may be criticizing Illinois with billboards,
newspaper ads and radio commercials, but Illinois won't respond in
kind, Quinn chief of staff Jack Lavin said in an interview with The
Associated Press.Instead, Lavin said, Illinois will talk directly
to the executives and consultants who evaluate states and decide
where companies will do business.
"I think you've got to go to the decision-makers," Lavin said
Wednesday evening. "That's who we need to focus on, rather than
billboards."
The state's message, Lavin said, will be that Illinois still has
a moderate tax burden even after the increase, but now state
government is on sound financial footing. That will let the state
pay its bills, improve services and make plans for the future, he
said.
Warren Ribley, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce
and Economic Opportunity, said neighboring states should applaud
Illinois for getting its financial house in order and then cooperate
on attracting overseas business to the region.
"As Illinois goes, so goes the Midwest," Ribley said. "Our
competition isn't Indiana or Wisconsin so much as it is China and
India."
One business consultant said Illinois officials are smart to
focus on talking to the people who actually make decisions about
where to do business.
"That's probably the better way. Take the professional approach,"
said Mark M. Sweeney, senior principal at South Carolina-based
McCallum Sweeney Consulting.
Sweeney wasn't impressed by the ad campaigns portraying Illinois
as unfriendly to business.
"That's for public consumption. I'd almost say for public
entertainment," Sweeney said. "That's as much politics as economic
development."
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Illinois Democrats approved an increase this month that boosts
the personal income tax rate by two-thirds, to 5 percent. The
corporate rate goes up by nearly half, to 7 percent. Some analyses
also count a second corporate tax that essentially pushes the
Illinois rate to 9.5 percent.
Other states, some with taxes comparable to Illinois' new rates
or even higher, have seized on the increase to criticize Illinois as
a place to do business.
New Jersey and Republican Gov. Chris Christie have been
especially active. Christie appears in newspaper and radio ads
running in Illinois to promote New Jersey.
Quinn has publicly criticized the New Jersey governor's
job-creation record and handling of that state's budget. But Lavin
said responding with an ad campaign would be a bad use of Illinois'
money -- something Christie should consider.
"I'm not sure they're investing their money wisely," Lavin said.
"I think he might be better off spending his money in New Jersey."
[Associated Press;
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS]
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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