State Leaders Must Think Big as They Work to Identify Transit Funding
With just over a week until
service cuts and fare hikes may become a reality for Chicago Transit Authority
and Pace riders, MPC continues to urge state leaders to agree upon an adequate,
sustainable funding source to meet the region’s transit operating needs. MPC
supports a one-quarter of one percent increase in the regional sales tax,
championed by Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), which would cost consumers just one
penny on a $4 latte.
“A .25 percent increase in the
regional sales tax – the first for transit since 1979 – would fund our transit
system for the long-term without placing a heavy burden on taxpayers,” said MPC
President
MarySue
Barrett
. “By stonewalling this proposal, state leaders are
consigning all of us to pay a much larger tax – the congestion tax.”
The “congestion tax” is well documented, but not well
understood. In September, the Texas Transportation Institute reported that Chicago loses
nearly $4 billion annually (the third highest amount of any metropolitan region
in the nation) in time and fuel wasted by traffic jams. The study also
articulates the economic value of transit to our region. What’s more, a poll released last
week by Smart Growth America and National Association of Realtors
shows three-fourths of Americans believe
that improving development patterns and public transportation are better
long-term solutions for reducing traffic congestion than building new roads.
Despite a 21 percent return on investment from transit,
political in-fighting continues to jeopardize keeping trains and buses moving.
Barrett urges state leaders to learn from other metropolitan regions, which have
responded to similar challenges by redoubling investments in the places and
infrastructure proven to pay dividends, and taking calculated risks on big
ideas. Contact Barrett at 312.863.6001 or msbarrett@metroplanning.org
.
London’s Minister for the Olympics to Keynote MPC Annual Meeting Luncheon
Chicagoland has
a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on its selection as the U.S. bid city for
the 2016 Games – and Chicago-area corporate, civic, government and community
leaders have a great opportunity to learn how at MPC’s Annual Meeting Luncheon,
“Going for the Gold: Chicago’s Olympic Destiny,” on Thursday, Nov. 29. Keynote
speaker the Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell, MP Minister for the
Olympics
and London , was a key
force
driving London’s successful
bid for the 2012 Games. She’ll
share
London’s ambitions for the wider benefits and
sustainable legacy of hosting the Games.
The luncheon, expected
to draw more than 1,200 attendees, will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m., at
the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand
Ballroom
(
East
Tower ), 151 E.
Wacker
Dr.,
Chicago.
Members of the media may
attend the event free of charge but should register with MPC Communications
Associate Mandy
Burrell,
mburrell@metroplanning.org
or 312.863.6018. Other guests may purchase tickets at MPC’s Web site
or at 312.553.2000.
PDX Lounge at Greenbuild Will Incubate New Sustainable Development Ideas
Some 20,000 people from around the world will descend on
McCormick Place in Chicago from Wednesday, Nov. 7, through Friday, Nov. 9, for
the Greenbuild 2007
International Conference & Expo
.
The event will feature keynote speaker former President Bill Clinton, more
than 850 exhibit booths showcasing new green building products
and technologies, educational sessions and workshops, Chicago tours, and more. One of
the week’s highlights will be the PDX Lounge, a “traveling sustainable city”
taking up temporary residence within the 20,000-square foot Chicago
Illuminating Company, 19
E.
21
st St., in
the
South
Loop.
The PDX Lounge will host a series
of business, educational and best-practice engagements for professionals working
in and with sustainable industries. Greenbuild conference attendees, business
leaders, industry practitioners, and political decision-makers will gather,
discuss, share and evolve innovative ideas for sustainable economic development.
During the PDX Lounge Sneak Preview event, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, invitees will
participate in a Town Hall-style dialogue, broaching a series of big questions
facing cities around sustainable economic development: finding solutions to fill
funding gaps, bridging barriers to sustainable development, creating new carbon
markets, incorporating transportation planning and funding, developing clean
energy policies, and more.
MPC is a Bioregional Partner of the Greenbuild
conference. PDX Lounge events are by invitation only, but members of the media
may register with Stephanie Swanson, principal, MarketShift Strategies,
971.246.1732, 503.232.0820, or stephanieswanson@marketshiftstrategies.com.
Meet the MPC Staff
Supporting Chicagoland’s Homeowners Puts
Lillie Jernigan Right at Home at MPC
In the past five years, Lillie Jernigan has advised thousands of people on the dos and
don’ts of homebuying, facilitated dozens of Employer-Assisted Housing
(EAH) programs across
Chicagoland, and personally bought and sold two condos. For reasons both
personal and professional, Lillie is sold on the value of homeownership, making
her a natural at MPC as she helps expand housing opportunities in suburban
Chicago
through
public-private partnerships.
Jernigan joined MPC in this role
in 2006, after four years as homeownership consultant for Neighborhood Housing
Services (NHS) of
Chicago
, where she taught weekly homeownership
education courses and counseled clients one-on-one. During this time, Jernigan
also managed the EAH program for the
University
of
Chicago
and University of Chicago Medical
Center, assisting more than 150 employees in purchasing a home near work,
utilizing their employers’ dollars as well as state, city and private funds.
Today, Jernigan applies her
expertise to her work at MPC, including helping support the nonprofit agencies
(REACH partners) providing homeownership counseling to suburban workers referred
by employers with EAH programs. MPC introduced EAH in northeastern
Illinois
in 2000; today, nearly 70
Illinois
employers are
helping their employees become homeowners through downpayment assistance and
free homeownership counseling, all coordinated through MPC.
Jernigan is a native of Arlington, Va., and received a
bachelor’s degree in integrative studies with a social sciences specialization
from George Mason University in Fairfax , Va. She lives on the South Side with
her fiancé, whom she met at a homebuying class. Contact Jernigan at 312.863.6005
or ljernigan@metroplanning.org.