* The folks at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation are making some bold claims these days. For instance, the Economist reports…
Katelyn Hancock, a spokesperson for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, says her state has been in competition with Illinois 43 times this year to win new investment—and won 40 times.
Already this year, 16 companies moved all or a portion of their operations from Illinois to Indiana, which the IEDC estimates brought the state 1,500 new jobs and more than $305.1 million in investment.
* I asked Gov. Pat Quinn’s spokespeople for a response and they didn’t directly dispute Indiana’s numbers…
Governor Quinn is focused on creating jobs and working hard to make Illinois an even more attractive place to do business not only in the Midwest, but globally. The Governor has an aggressive long-term strategy for bringing quality jobs to Illinois, which includes innovation, exports and foreign investment, business-friendly legislation, and addressing infrastructure needs. And we don’t need to exaggerate our success; the proof is in the numbers.
According to the U.S. Labor Department, from October 2010 to October 2011, Indiana lost 12,400 jobs, a 0.4 percent decline in employment. Illinois added 60,500 jobs in that same time period. Illinois added 30,000 jobs in October, more than any other state. Since January 2010, Illinois has added 108,100 jobs ranking Illinois first in the Midwest in job creation. Illinois is home to 10 companies in the Fortune 100, 19 in the top 250 and 31 in the top 500. Indiana, by contrast, has five in the top 500. While Illinois’ corporate tax rate is at 7 percent, Indiana’s corporate rate is 8.5 percent - 20 percent higher than Illinois).
However, our competition isn’t Indiana, it’s India. The Governor is focused on making sure Illinois remains competitive on a global scale. We’re in a National recession, this is a national issue that every state is facing. The reality is that Midwestern states need to work together more, not less, to market the region to global visitors and business. An approach that focuses on picking off a neighboring state’s business is short-sighted and is a losing strategy for our region.
“Right to work” is not a strategy to achieve economic progress and create jobs.
* An Indiana news story from last month suggests the Hoosiers are prone to exaggeration…
In his zeal to sell Hoosiers on a right-to-work bill, House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, appears to be playing fast and loose with the facts about job creation in Indiana.
Several times this week, Bosma has proclaimed Indiana “the envy of the Midwest in our job-creation efforts,” and said if Indiana enacted a right-to-work law it would “remove the last barriers to job creation” and “help the quarter of a million unemployed Hoosiers get back to work.”
But far from being best in the Midwest, data released Tuesday by the U.S. Labor Department shows Indiana is not creating jobs; it’s losing jobs.
From October 2010 to October 2011, Indiana lost 12,400 jobs, a 0.4 percent decline in employment. The only state to do worse was Georgia, a right-to-work state, which lost 27,900 jobs, or 0.9 percent of employment year-to-year.
Each of Indiana’s neighboring states — Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky — all added jobs during that same period, including 60,500 jobs in Illinois and 48,900 jobs in Michigan.
None of those states has a right-to-work law.
* Indiana is so fervent about the idea of wooing CME Group that at least two towns are competing to host the company. Indianapolis is one, suburban Carmel is another…
CME Group appears to be the subject of a Nov. 3 letter from Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. In it, Brainard offers $150 million in tax incentives, plus free land and expedited permits for an 800,000-square-foot headquarters, and a 425,000-square-foot “data center facility.”
* But despite the fact that the Board of Trade contributed heavily to Gov. Quinn’s campaign last year, Sen. Bill Brady has been an outspoken proponent of its tax cut…
State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, says he believes a tax break deal to help CME Group, Sears and some small businesses can still be done by the end of the year.
The Illinois House overwhelmingly rejected the plan last week after the Senate passed the measure.
“I’ve had some discussions with some folks (in the House) that I’ve asked to step up and be leaders in the Chicago area to try to get this done,” Brady said.
You don’t see that too often in Illinois. So, whatever you think of the CME proposal, kudos to Brady.
The La Salle County Board will hold its January meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Ottawa to accommodate those concerned about the plan to build a 315-acre sand mine next to the east entrance of Starved Rock State Park on private property.
If I ever leave here I hope never to return
If I get that van back, Man, the road I’m gonna burn
Right now my future’s in the hands of the boys down at Firestone
Stuck in Indianapolis feeling all alone
