To try and make sure Illinois doesn’t lose out on more than $9 billion in federal funds that have been earmarked for state transportation projects, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has tapped two former congressmen to help pitch his $25 billion public works program.
Dennis Hastert, who retired from Congress last year after being the longest-serving GOP speaker of the House, and Glenn Poshard, who is Southern Illinois University’s president and a former Democratic candidate for governor, will serve as co-chairs of the new Illinois Works Coalition, Blagojevich announced Wednesday. Other members of the bipartisan group include business and labor leaders and local elected officials.
The state can capture $9.3 billion if it comes up with a quarter of those funds in matching dollars, which is the best deal the state has ever been offered, Hastert said. Illinois’ congressional delegation has been warning for months that those federal dollars will be doled out to other states if Illinois doesn’t act soon.
Last year’s attempt to finance a multibillion-dollar building program through a massive casino expansion fell apart amid political infighting between Blagojevich and state legislative leaders.
“We need to recapture those federal dollars,” Hastert said. “We need to bring that back home … and the only way to do that is to get people together.”
Hastert said he sees no conflict of interest in helping the governor even though his home and 127 surrounding acres near Plano happen to be close to the proposed Prairie Parkway, a plan to connect Interstate Highways 90, 88 and 80 that he championed while in Congress. He sold off some land for a $2 million profit in 2005.
“The property I had prior to this was closer to the interchange than the property I have now,” Hastert said. “I think it is kind of a moot question. I live there.”
The coalition will hold hearings around the state and present a report by mid-April outlining the state’s capital needs and possible ways to pay for those projects, Poshard said.
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jmeitrodt@tribune.com
