Get Illinois Working Again.

Jeff Smith will be a knowledgeable advocate for the transformation we need in our economy to create meaningful jobs for Illinoisans

Representative Activities:
  • the only 18th District candidate who over the past two decades has worked primarily in the district
  • one of the only candidates who has worked primarily in the private sector where most jobs are generated
  • has advised companies who have created hundreds of jobs in the 18th District
  • has counseled small businesses at every phase from inception to merger
  • has advised both employers and employees on all aspects of contract negotiation, hiring, and firing
  • real-world knowledge of the obstacles businesses face in creating positions, and what workers need to help find good jobs
"This deep recession is not a natural disaster but the result of bad policy, and years of hollowing out the middle class and neglecting working families. Recognizing the national and global factors beyond our control, and that some jobs will not return, our challenge is how to re-frame the state economy. We must support sectors where economic growth, given our resources, is possible. We also need to combat perception that Illinois is a difficult state in which to do business." - Jeff Smith.

 Jeff's Plan for Jobs Creation:
  • Invest In A Clean Energy Economy. Transferable tax credits and seed investments in retrofits, renewable energy, and rail will boost sectors hammered by the severe recession, put more money in consumers’ pockets, and help Illinois businesses’ balance sheets.
  • Promote Green Infrastructure. Development of a full renewable-energy grid, water efficiency programs, and wetlands and floodplain restoration will return many times their cost to the economy.
  • Forward-looking Job Training. We should direct educational resources to growth areas and skill gaps, and must not miss out on the 1 million “middle-skill” job openings projected by 2016.
  • High-Impact and Growth Firms and Sectors. Illinois must do more to support biotechnology, and leverage nanotech investment.
  • Locally-produced foods and goods. Producing and buying locally is more efficient, and keeps more of Illinois’s money here.
  • Health Care and Health Care Delivery. Health care costs deter hiring. The health care sector itself will also expand as the population ages and the state educational system should reflect that.
  • Reduce Obstacles to Job Creation. The culture of corruption, an uneven legal system, lack of confidence in some school systems and the workforce they produce, and obstructive, counterproductive paperwork and fees must be eliminated. Residential development must match transit and jobs.
  • Support the Arts. Investment in the arts, especially local artists, spins money directly back into a local economy.
  • Invest in People. Keeping Illinoisans from falling through the safety net benefits the entire community. Preventing and mitigating individual financial, health, legal and other calamities will reduce enormous ripple effect losses in Illinois’s economy.
Jeff Smith knows first-hand how laws passed in Springfield impact employment at the local level. He will use his experience to make reality-based decisions.


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