From The President’s Desk: Restoring Illinois’ Infrastructure

Last week, I was appointed by Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton to their Restoring Illinois’ Infrastructure Committee. Infrastructure, mass transit, and mobility are a primary focus of the Chicagoland Chamber. Serving on the transition committee will provide our members and the business community a voice on critical issues, especially as Governor-elect Pritzker looks to pass an infrastructure bill. I led the passage of the last, and the largest, capital construction plan in Illinois history back in 2009 during my time as Chief of Staff to then-Governor Quinn. We are long overdue for sustained investment in our infrastructure and I’m honored to serve on this committee representing our members and the business community.

Infrastructure and mass transit mean mobility, and mobility means opportunity. Mobility plays into our economy and our attractiveness as a place to live and work. People want and demand a transportation system that safely, reliably and efficiently gets them where they need to be. It’s a quality of life issue. If we do this right, each person in our talented workforce can live wherever they want and have access to every one of our region’s employers, and each career and educational opportunity. Businesses, in turn, will have access to the full power of our workforce – the talent they need.

The transition committee has a broad scope. It covers all major modes of transportation, along with public transit and intermodal infrastructure. It will also look at water infrastructure, building projects on colleges and hospital campuses, state procurement and supplier diversity, and digital broadband infrastructure – the transportation of data, which is crucial to economic and job growth in the 21st century.

I am proud to be part of the transition committee and excited about the work ahead. I thank Governor-elect Pritzker and Lt. Governor-elect Stratton for the opportunity. My voice on this committee is actually your voice. So I seek your input. If you have infrastructure priorities or suggestions you want me to know about, please email me here.

I am ready to get to work with all our members to move Chicagoland, our talented workforce, and your businesses forward. I know great things are ahead.

Sincerely,

Jack Lavin

President & CEO

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce