Chicago                                                                  

Bipartisan cooperation that old-fashioned remedy for breaking stalemates By PAUL M. GREEN

To ease the state's financial crisis, one thing must change in 1993: Budgetary gimmicks, imaginative name calling or traditional party politics can no longer substitute for the bipartisan cooperation that is now badly needed. New dollars must be found and new jobs must be created to "grow the economy," to use President Clinton's phrase.

It will not be enough merely to adhere to Cicero's principle of "magnum vectigal est parsimonia" — that is, economy is a great revenue. For economizing alone will not solve the mismatch in Illinois between available revenue and the growing demand for services. Unless something is done this year, there is a strong possibility that Springfield's State Capitol and Chicago's City Hall may be known as "Nightmare on 2nd Street" and "Nightmare on LaSalle Street," respectively, at this time next year.

Hard economic times in Illinois are being exacerbated by a combination of political gridlock and civic amnesia. Republican Gov. Jim Edgar and Chicago's Democratic Mayor Richard M. Daley can agree on almost nothing ever since the Lake Calumet Airport project was grounded last June. Whether it's big-ticket items like the third airport site or land-based casino gambling or a unified economic development package for small- and middle-size businesses, confrontation, not cooperation, is common. This is happening although neither man can afford to wait for the next gubernatorial election in November 1994 to settle their personal and political differences. Illinois' and Chicago's economy cannot stand to be on hold that long.

Surprisingly, the state's major newspapers, civic associations and business groups have by and large accepted the Springfield stalemate. They point to the GOP takeover of the state Senate and the elevation of James "Pate" Philip (R-23, Wood Dale) to Senate president as further reasons to accept gridlock.

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Perhaps we need a reminder that Illinois' political tradition includes large-scale compromise and deal-making even among political rivals. A little less than two score years ago William G. Stratton was the GOP governor and Richard J. Daley was the Democratic mayor of Chicago. The men had little in common except for a shared belief that statewide progress could be accomplished only through governmental compromise and political respect. That is why in the 1950s, despite the usual obstacles of entrenched political, territorial and economic loyalties, these men led the way in bringing needed projects to the state. In Chicago alone we see McCormick Place, O'Hare Airport and the University of Illinois campus.

Stratton, one of the major deal makers, said both he and Daley were party leaders in the 1950s and would talk to each other about major projects. "When push came to shove, we could persuade legislators to pass needed legislation," he noted.

The former governor made two other points on this critical issue of upstate-downstate compromise. First, he reminisced about the bond issue that was passed in the 1950s to provide funds for UIC, suburban toll roads and downstate roads. "For its time," he said in an interview, "it was a very large amount of money [$300 million], but the projects were all needed and it benefitted the entire state."

Like many of us, Gov. Stratton also lamented the passing of cumulative voting (minority party representation in every House district). "The abolition of cumulative voting," suggests Stratton, "has created political deserts in Illinois . . . that is, one-party areas that promote an us versus them attitude."

Times have changed in 40 years. Television and technology have replaced political parties as organizing electoral tools. Suburban growth has complicated the political mix, but the art of politics remains compromise. In short, it is not immoral to make political deals. Our current crop of leaders should learn from the past. *

Paul M. Green is director of the Institute for Public Policy and Administration, Governor's State University, University Park.

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