Joliet Mayoral Candidate Jan Quillman says she would "ensure success of the multimodal transportation center"

During a Joliet Chamber Forum, current Joliet City Council Member and Mayoral Candidate Jan Quillman said that if elected she would: "concentrate on urban development to ensure the success of the multimodal transportation center.   This development is essential for the state to continue to thrive and business to grow."

According to the application for American Recovery and Reinvestment funds for this multimodal transportation center prepared by the City of Joliet, "The JOLIET REGIONAL MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION CENTER (“JRMMTC”) in Joliet, IL, will be the key component and catalyst to the City of Joliet’s “Central Area Plan and Implementation Strategy” (www.cityofjoliet.info/tigergrant.asp) for the redevelopment of Downtown Joliet.  The City of Joliet retained VOA Associates to conduct a major comprehensive downtown area planning effort, “The Comprehensive Development Plan for Downtown Joliet”, which kicked off in October 2008.  The JRMMTC will be built and managed by the City of Joliet and is designed to serve local, regional, interstate, state and national needs.  The City of Joliet is requesting $55.0 million from the Department of Transportation for the project. " 

The candidates for Mayor of Joliet in the April 2011 election are:
Kevin Hegarty
Andy Mihelich
Jan Quillman
Tom Giarrante
Diane Harris
Lester Brown
Michael J. Marconi
Warren Dorris
Dale Vollmer

See the rest of Quillman's speech:

Joliet Mayoral Candidate Michael Marconi questions whether rise in City Budget is Proportional to rise in City Population

Joliet Mayoral Candidate Michael Marconi's ad in the Joliet Herald News today features a comparison between Joliet in 1991 and Joliet in 2011.  According to Marconi, from 1991 to 2011, Joliet's population increased from 91,000 to 147,433, an increase of 62%, while the Joliet budget increased from $61,400,000 to $293, 000,000, an increase of 477%.

In his ad, Marconi asked, "How does the rise in population of 62% equate to a rise in the budget of nearly 500%?  Are you getting 5X the city services?  Are you making 5X the wages?  Are there 5X the city employees?"

Marconi goes on to state: "The answer is clear.  The citizens of Joliet can no longer afford career politicians, who treat the city budget as their own personal bank account.  We can do better.  We have to have a strategy to attract industry and commerce to the city."