North Cook News

Barrett Davie insists you need to look no further than Springfield to understand why Illinois is seen as it is by the business world at large.

“Illinois has 36 Fortune 500 companies, world-class universities, fantastic natural resources in Lake Michigan and the best farming soil in the nation, and history and geography make us a major transportation hub here in the Western world,” Davie told the North Cook News. “The list of resources goes on and on ... . We have so many advantages and should be leading the nation in growth, innovation and quality of life. We struggle due to a lack of leadership, capability and accountability in the political class.  There seems to be a total disconnect between policy enacted in Springfield and the environment essential to attracting investment in our state.”

Davie was moved to speak out in the wake of a Chief Executive’s recent 2018 “Best and Worst States for Business” report that for the fourth straight year ranks Illinois No. 48 of 50 states, ahead of only New York and California.

Barrett Davie

“It’s unfortunate that the activity within our government fails to match the needed achievement,” added Davie, running against Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) in Senate District 29 in November’s general election. “The result of this ineffectiveness means many who could be making investments here are looking elsewhere. Illinois' low ranking as a destination for where businesses want to locate means that we have a lot of opportunity out there for growth and prosperity if we can right our state's fiscal crisis.”

For the 14th straight year, Texas ranked No. 1 on the list, followed by Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. Closer to home, Indiana ranked No. 5 and Michigan, up nine spots over last year, ranked No. 27.

Barrett said the key to the state turning things around lies in lawmakers being willing to institute meaningful reforms that are respectful of all the state’s many frustrated taxpayers.

“The most important thing our political leaders can do is to begin to be honest with themselves and their constituents about the magnitude of our state's fiscal problems,” he said. “There will be no quick fixes, but businesses are looking to see that Illinois leaders are willing to acknowledge our challenges and are willing to work together to achieve meaningful reforms now.”