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FINAL THOUGHTS
FROM DIRECTOR McCLURE
By STEVE McCLURE, Director
Department of Commerce & Community Affairs
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As the outgoing director of the Department of
Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA), I want to
thank the Illinois Municipal League for all of its support
for the agency in a very difficult year. I also want to pass
along some final thoughts and concerns.
Over the last 14 years, the relationship between local
governments and the State has evolved in a positive
way. Communities are less reliant on the State for management assistance and in many cases economic development assistance. Community leaders have learned to
deal with more issues locally.
The State still provides assistance to local governments, but often it is targeted to a specific problem or a
specific industry. It is my hope that this careful targeting by DCCA will continue.
This cooperative arrangement between the communities and the State has been quite successful. Illinois
continues to be one of the top states in manufacturing
start-ups, employment growth, and export expansion.
However, Illinois faces a problem that will eventually
catch up with many of our communities, prevent continued growth, and cause a loss of businesses and jobs.
That problem is infrastructure. Put simply, our State's
infrastructure is crumbling. In fact, inadequate infrastructure has forced almost 200 Illinois communities to
halt any further plans for development.
The communities don't have the resources to take
care of their water and sewer problems. Last spring,
through leadership of the Illinois Municipal League and
a number of prominent mayors, we pushed for legislation to create a new State program that would assist
with this $250 million problem. Legislators rallied
around the cause and the bill passed the Senate by a
wide majority. When it was delivered to the House of
Representatives it became linked to the McCormick
Place expansion and was never brought to a vote.
Unfortunately, the infrastructure problem won't go away and only gets worse over time. Governor Thompson understood the problem and one of his last acts as
Governor was to announce a special Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) round of $7
million. This should provide some relief for a few
communities, but demand for funds far exceeds
supply. The Department received 91 applications requesting almost $28 million.
In the past, the department has provided approximately $12 million a year for public infrastructure improvements through the CDAP programs. This has
been one of the few sources of funds a community
could turn to in a crisis. There is no guarantee this
program will continue next year. President Bush proposed eliminating the program and simply allotting
funds to the states to use at their discretion.
As I leave State government to form my own consulting business, I felt it only appropriate to pass these
concerns along to the members of the Illinois Municipal
League.
Illinois' infrastructure problem will not simply go
away and the scramble for scarce State dollars is likely
to intensify during the next several years. It is important
that the Municipal League clearly outlines its concerns
to Governor Edgar. The governor is a friend of Illinois'
communities and can be a great help to you — once he
understands your needs.
I have enjoyed working with your fine organization
in the past and am certain that we will continue to work
together on projects that are important for Illinois. •
Page 18 / Illinois Municipal Review / March 1991
