Yesterday, Chamber President and CEO, Jack Lavin, spoke before the Illinois Senate Committee on Transportation, which held a subject matter hearing on the significance of mass transit to the economy. Ensuring that our region’s mass transit system is modern, equitable, and responsive to the needs of its businesses and residents is essential to making sure Chicago remains a world class city. However, as calls for more funding and increased taxes continue to be discussed as fiscal cliffs loom, the Chamber urges local and State leaders to put reforms in place before new revenues are proposed.
“From our members with thousands of employees traveling to the Loop via CTA or Metra on a daily basis, to Chicago residents using the Metra and Pace to commute to jobs in the suburbs, and to our most vulnerable citizens that require paratransit services, our region, in order to remain a world class city, needs a modern transit system that is nimble, safe, reliable and clean to address the ever-changing needs of its riders while also remaining affordable for both riders and taxpayers,” said Lavin. “We also must be clear-eyed. Simply raising new revenues will not address the structural problems our members continue to express frustrations with. Before the conversation around revenues is to occur, a comprehensive set of reforms and priorities must be identified and agreed upon including governance.”
▶️ Read the full remarks: https://bit.ly/3WgdrPC
