Rep. Gaffney, Illinois Chamber President Talk Jobs

Health care, pension reform and job growth are all areas of concern for those who attended the business roundtable with Rep. Kent Gaffney, R-Lake Barrington, and Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Doug Whitley on Monday.

Barrington-area employers and other members of the  talked jobs with the duo at the chamber offices before heading out to tour Mattson Witt Precision Products in Lake Barrington. 

Those in attendance agreed that the Illinois budget is of huge concern for businesses in the state, especially in Barrington.

“We’re at a really crucial time in the state of Illinois right now,” Gaffney said. “We’re kind of at a real tipping point here. We saw the tax increase passed about a year ago. Since that tax increase passed, we’ve seen unemployment in the state go up. Businesses are leaving, individuals are leaving, it’s going in the wrong direction.”

Whitley agreed with Gaffney’s take on the Illinois economy, sharing some unflattering statistics pertaining to business here. Some major concerns include that the Illinois corporate income tax is the third-highest among all states in the union, and that the state was 48th in job growth between 1999 and 2009.

“As I talk to people, I say we can’t deny where we are. We just need to be willing to accept where we are and say that’s unacceptable,” Whitley said. “We acknowledge that this is where we are today, this is unacceptable and what we want from our elected officials is we want to reverse these trends and we want you to make decisions that are present in Springfield that’s going to reverse these trends.”

 Supervisor Gene Dawson was in attendance at the roundtable discussion. He asked Whitley for suggestions on what businesses locally can do to improve the situation.

“Make sure your voice is being heard outside of Barrington for the state as a whole … you know you’ve got a friend in Kent” Gaffney, he said.