I’m planning a profile of Illinois Chamber President Doug Whitley for Friday or next week. In the meantime, here’s an op-ed piece he submitted to news outlets.

Voters Begin to Dismantle Political Fraternity

For too long, Illinois has been home to a legislative and judicial fraternity whose members’ shortsighted decisions have tarnished our state’s reputation, eroded the state’s job market, undermined the healthcare system and jeopardized the overall quality of life. The arrogance of these office holders, exemplified by Gordon Maag and Pat Welch, reflects an outdated system founded in anti-employer attitudes. During their tenure, businesses have been viewed simply as “deep pockets to pick” and anti-employer legislation prevails over the need to promote a pro-growth, pro-jobs economy for Illinois.

With Illinois’ diminishing reputation and our economic future at stake, voters took an important step in the 2004 election to dismantle this out-of-control brotherhood and swing the pendulum back to center by demanding change in two critical elections: the 5th District Supreme Court race between Lloyd Karmeier and Gordon Maag and the State Senate race between Gary Dahl and 22-year veteran Pat Welch.

By voting “yes” for Karmeier - and rejecting Maag for both the Supreme Court and the Appellate Court - voters stood up for retaining and restoring access to quality healthcare, assuring employers that Illinois is a safe place to create jobs and, most importantly, diminishing Illinois’ reputation as a magnet for class action lawyers seeking huge fees and a haven for frivolous lawsuits that cost American business millions to defend. Voters confronted the stigma that Illinois is anti-business by supporting a candidate with a judicial demeanor that exemplifies trust, balance and fairness.

Voters’ message to the Illinois judicial system: We will no longer tolerate the unbridled influence of a legal fraternity that has controlled judicial selection for too long. Moreover, where retention is concerned, judges will no longer get a pass just because they’re at the bottom of the ballot.

On the legislative side, voters chose Gary Dahl over incumbent Pat Welch, who sponsored anti-employer legislation and reveled in anti-employer rhetoric. In Welch’s final years in office, more than 16,000 jobs and $120 million in Illinois business investment were lost due to excessive fee increases; more than 45 percent of employers increased their costs to consumers by an average of 5 percent; more than one in five businesses shifted costs, such as health insurance premiums, to their workers; and employers’ share of state and local taxes increased to an exceptional 50.8 percent — substantially above the U.S. average of 42.6 percent. Welsh symbolized the anti-employer attitude that saturated the 2003 and 2004 legislative cycles. Voters took notice and took action.

Voters’ message to Illinois lawmakers: Job growth is our greatest need. Characterizing employers as villains won’t create jobs or bring prosperity.

Votes count and what happens on Election Day matters. The Illinois Chamber praises voters for supporting candidates who will bring moderation back to our judicial system and compromise back to Springfield. We thank voters for stating loud and clear that if the existing fraternity can’t clean up its act, we are prepared to elect new leaders. The public spoke loudly on Nov. 2, 2004. Hopefully our state’s political leaders heard these important messages and will be more receptive to changing their ways.