SCHAUMBURG -- Small business owners in the northwest suburbs expressed their concerns for the skyrocketing cost of doing business in Illinois Wednesday afternoon as House Minority Leader Tom Cross, Republican members Dennis Reboletti and Randy Ramey as well as GOP House candidate Anita Forte-Scott listened.
There was no polite attempt to hide the business owners' frustration. They are ready for change, and have been for a while, they said.
"What are you going to do to turn things around here in Illinois?" the state lawmakers were asked as employers ranging from day care center owners to real estate agents to kitchen remodelers vented about high gas prices, Illinois' increased minimum wage and rising employee taxes. These costs that have cut into their business revenues to the point that some have been forced to drastic cutbacks in their businesses.
The conversation, some feared, is a sign of the times, as consumer optimism diminishes and the "R" word is bandied around.
"The cost of food is skyrocketing and we're going to be forced to raise rates on our day care," one Schaumburg preschool operator said. "The families who turn to us to care for their children can't afford a rate increase. We're having to make tough decisions. If our parents don't work, we lose work."
Things are beginning to get tough as this economic downturn started to show itself within the past few months.
How bad the Illinois job market has become, even in upper income level Schaumburg, became evident earlier this year when the Schaumburg Public Library publicized a Saturday morning job fair. Library staff said they were stunned when over 850 people lined up along the library's halls, waiting to fill out applications for Illinois' WorkNet Career Center's jobs matching program.
"Over 200 people walked away that day when they saw the long line. We had to make more form copies to meet the demand. It was eye-opening," John Ericson , director of Adult Services for the library said. "They were people of all ages, young and in their 50s, and a surprising number looking for IT work."
Throughout lunch at a nearby restaurant and into the afternoon's business forum, Republican candidate for the district's House seat Anita Forte-Scott listened as business owners and community leaders shared their growing frustration with Illinois business climate. Fortes-Scott, a preschool center owner herself, shared the concerns and told the business owners Illinois was in dire need of an attitude adjustment towards business owners.
"We've asked you to tell us today about the hurdles you face as business owners," Forte-Scott said. "We understand how difficult it is to decide when it's best to pass on costs to your customers. The internet has created its own challenges because people can go online and find things cheaper. Illinois needs a pro-business tax schedule and must develop incentives for businesses to stay. The opposite is true when you see the legislation that's going through Springfield now."
Cross said there were several pro-business proposals stuck in the Illinois House that would stir the economy in Illinois.
"We need to change Illinois civil court system and move through civil litigation reform. We need to pass an equipment depreciation bill that would jumpstart a ripple effect," he said. "We just can't get it done unless Speaker Madigan allows these bills to be voted on. Then we face the obstacle of passing it in the Illinois Senate."
Most recent unemployment figures indicate Illinois close to a 7% unemployment rate, but when large numbers of people desperate for jobs turn out en masse as they did at the Schaumburg Library a few months ago , the urgency of the problem is eye opening.
"Whatever they are doing in Springfield, they need to find a way to attract businesses and retain employers," one businessman said. "There's a problem."
Forte-Scott's luncheon before the discussion was held at Schaumburg's Lou Malnati's, where the lawmakers answered questions about the current political climate in Springfield. They were asked if it were possible to either impeach or recall Governor Blagojevich. Ramey, Reboletti and Cross agreed that there may be basis for looking into it, but felt that it would be a waste of time because Democrats, no matter how much they dislike the Governor, would not be likely to allow the impeachment to pass the House and then go through the trial phase in the Illinois Senate.
"We're not interested in making the Governor a martyr," Cross said.
"There was a bumper sticker in Springfield last summer that said 'Blagojevich in '06 and Quinn in '07,'" Ramey said. "Maybe that sticker was off by a year. . ."
Forte-Scott is challenging former Republican/now Democrat State Rep. Paul Froehlich of Schaumburg in the fall.
