Illinoisans deserve a pothole-free future. But are they getting a bang for their gas tax buck? Or is Pritzker’s $45 billion “Rebuild Illinois” program just another vehicle to deliver special favors?
According to IllinoisPolicy.org, a deep dive into the capital plan points toward the latter, showing at least $1.25 billion in pork-barrel projects.
Pritzker’s plan “shows no evidence of comprehensive planning to prioritize projects,” according to the nonpartisan Civic Federation. Lack of good budgeting basics, such as focusing on infrastructure maintenance over flashy ribbon cuttings, is exactly how Illinois ended up with its current infrastructure problems.
Here are just a few examples of pork in the new capital plan:
The state will spend $98 million on noise abatement at the Chicago Belt Railway Yard in Bedford Park, which happens to be in the suburban portion of House Speaker Mike Madigan’s district.
The Illinois Arts Council, chaired by Madigan’s wife Shirley, will get $50 million in capital plan funds.
Rush University Medical Center, part of a private health system with annual revenues of $2.4 billion, will receive a $14 million grant from Illinois taxpayers.
The state will send $50 million in capital plan grants to parks and recreational units for improvements, such as pickleball courts. The Chicago Park District will receive $15 million for a new field house at Jackie Robinson Park.
Taxpayers will float $5 million to Northwestern University to purchase new science equipment. The private university boasts an endowment of $11 billion.
And keep in mind, this is just the pork that’s out in the open.
