State of City at Tellabs will paint positive picture
By John Schmitt Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce January 20, 2011 3:32PM
Updated: May 19, 2011 5:22AM
Next Monday, the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce will host Mayor A. George Pradel for an annual tradition in Naperville, the State of the City Address. This year, there are a few logistical changes. The address will be delivered over breakfast and will be hosted at Tellabs, 1415 W. Diehl Road in Naperville. Harris Bank has once again generously offered to sponsor the breakfast.
While the State of the City will be at a new location, the fundamentals of the address will not change and attendees will hear a positive speech about all of the community’s achievements during the past year.
The chamber is proud to host the State of the City Address, because it shows the strength of the partnership between Naperville’s mayor, City Council and all of our elected officials in creating, sustaining and improving a climate conducive to job growth and business expansion, while providing excellent and efficient services to all of the city’s residents.
This week the city released further evidence that things were looking brighter for our local economy. I’ve previously noted the positive trends in the unemployment rate in this column; now we are proud to report that Naperville’s sales tax, a direct barometer of economic activity, is showing signs of recovery and growth.
The evidence was a memo written by the city’s finance director reporting that Naperville’s sales tax has grown every month of this year and year-to-date sales tax revenues are up 11 percent. Recovery and growth is taking hold in our local economy, and we need to continue to be cautiously optimistic about the future.
The chamber strongly applauds the work done by the City Council, mayor and staff to tighten their belt during a time of economic distress. Their efforts helped produce an environment that will enable Naperville’s businesses to have a competitive advantage.
From the chamber’s perspective, the cheapest, easiest way for any government to solve budget deficits is to reduce spending, hold the line on taxes and revenue raisers, provide incentives for the private sector to grow while enabling consumers to keep, invest and use as much of their money as possible.
It’s unfortunate that other units of government across Illinois don’t share this philosophy, but we won’t be deterred. Our businesses and residents need to continue to do what they do best — lead the way.
All businesses and residents are invited to join us Monday for the breakfast address. Pre-registration is required, and you can register at www.naperville.net, or by calling the chamber at 630-355-4141.
We would like to offer a special thank you to Tellabs for their generosity in hosting the chamber and community at their facility. Mayor Pradel’s address will be delivered at one of our community’s leading innovators and emphasizes that our region is a great place for all businesses, small, medium and large.
I hope to see you at the State of the City breakfast on Monday!
John Schmitt is president and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, the largest suburban chamber in Illinois.
