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The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce will host
a closed-door meeting Friday in the hope that city officials and community
leaders will find common ground over an ordinance requiring new guidelines
for local building projects involving at least $500,000 in city, state, or
federal funds. Ward 2 Ald. Gail Simpson, on behalf of several
religious and nonprofit groups invested in developing Springfield’s
east side, has denounced the ordinance since the City Council’s May
20 approval, saying that its inclusion of apprenticeship requirements
caters to union workers. Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards and Laborers Local 477
business manager Brad Schaive, both major proponents of the ordinance,
argue that its strict guidelines help keep closer tabs on how taxpayer
money is spent.
Gary Plummer, president and CEO of the chamber, says
the meeting was called so both sides could come together to discuss the
issue but adds that it would be an overstatement to claim that
they’ll immediately reach a compromise.
“It was more called to foster a better
understanding and to make sure everybody understands the other
person’s perspective,” Plummer says.
Ernie Slottag, the city’s communications
director, confirms that Mayor Tim Davlin, who was not present at the last
council meeting, will be in attendance, along with a few aldermen, union
representatives, east-side religious leaders, city staff, and chamber
members. Slottag says a healthy discussion could lead to an updated
ordinance but agrees that parties may need more than one meeting to hammer
out the terms. Simpson, who will participate in Friday’s
discussion, says one of the messages she hopes to get across is that the
city doesn’t need to fix a system that isn’t broken. It
doesn’t make sense to draft a new ordinance without evaluating its
consequences, Simpson says, especially in this case, in which safeguards
were already in place to protect workers and taxpayer money.
“That’s the whole problem with city
government,” Simpson says. “Nobody looks at what is going to be
best long-term — it’s always a quick fix. There is no
long-range strategic plan.”
Several aldermen who voted for the ordinance have
already acknowledged that an amendment is in order because the city rarely
doles out as much as $500,000 to local building projects [see Amanda
Robert, “Overseers,” May 29].
Contact Amanda Robert at arobert@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2008.
