Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) attends an opening ceremony at the St. Clair County Public Safety Center.
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NewsTranscript
00:00to deliver good news. Really glad to be here. What a beautiful morning. Thank you all for joining us.
00:06It's always a pleasure to be back here in East St. Louis celebrating completion of projects. We get
00:12to do that quite a lot these days, especially the completion, of course, of this public safety center
00:18at the Emerson Park Transit Center. I first want to acknowledge some of the really many dedicated
00:26public servants. You've heard their names, but I want to make special mention, of course,
00:32of Chairman Mark Kern, who's been an ally and friend and advisor.
00:39And when there's something that's needed in St. Clair County, he picks up the phone, he calls me,
00:44he whispers in my ear when I'm here and tells me what the next thing is that I need to do.
00:50And I will tell you, I listen to Mark. Director Herb Simmons, thank you for all the work that
00:55you do on behalf of this county. Senator Chris Beltz, Representative Jay Hoffman, Representative
01:03Katie Stewart, President Talby Rauch, thank you. Thank you for your public service. Thank you for
01:10helping to lead this state. I really am grateful for that. And thank you all for your commitment
01:17to the people of this region, helping to make this possible, helping to make infrastructure
01:23in Illinois the best in the nation. And, of course, I want to thank the men and women of
01:27organized labor who really made this possible, this project possible, including Eric Holler,
01:32whose name you've heard of the Southwestern Illinois Building Trades. Up and down this state,
01:37union crews are hard at work, I'm proud to say, keeping Illinois moving forward. And I am proud
01:45to stand alongside them in that effort as we create jobs and we fight to lift up working families.
01:52Since I became governor, upgrading and modernizing our state's infrastructure has really been one of
01:58my highest priorities. It's one of the first things that I did as governor. I got to not
02:03only work with the legislature to get the largest in the nation infrastructure package done. I want
02:10to point out, it took the federal government another couple of years to follow our lead
02:15in the state of Illinois. But we passed a massive project program, $45 billion. The federal
02:22government, amazing in their delivery of another $20 billion. So when you're driving on the roads
02:28or you're driving by a construction project for transit like this one, you feel like you've had
02:35to slow down because there's construction going on. I just want to say, sorry, not sorry.
02:42This is really for the next several decades that we're putting money into our infrastructure. It's
02:47long overdue, and I'm very proud of what we've done. And we, as I say, rank among the best in
02:54the nation in our investments in infrastructure. For years, there's been neglect and disinvestments
03:00of our roads, our bridges, our transit, our airports, our waterways. And when it's holding
03:07back our economic potential, making our communities less connected and, well, threatened
03:12the safety and the productivity of our residents. So we all worked together to set out to change
03:20that, proposing a historic level of investment through the Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan.
03:25The members of the General Assembly that you sent to represent you helped decide long ago
03:33that we needed to make investments right here in this region of the state. Illinois is at the
03:41center of everything in the nation, and it was an opportunity for us to restart our economic engine
03:47and solidify our status as a multimodal hub for the flow of people and commerce, not just in the
03:54state of Illinois, but throughout the nation. We made it clear that this wasn't just a plan to
03:59rectify the shortcomings of the past, it was to build a spectacular future for the people of
04:05Illinois. Now standing here at this incredible facility, I can tell you that this is exactly
04:12what we had in mind, and we're doing it all across the state. But nearly 10 million dollars
04:17from the Rebuild Illinois capital plan was invested here in this state-of-the-art building,
04:23which will not only further connect St. Clair County residents to the rest of the state,
04:28but it will serve as an administrative hub for agency coordination, for public safety, housing
04:34the St. Clair County CENCOM West 911 Emergency Dispatch Center, office space for St. Clair
04:41County's Metrolink Sheriff's deputies, and Metro Transit Operational Control Center, and it'll make
04:49good on our commitment to public safety and reliability across the transit system, because
04:55Illinois riders deserve nothing less. Thanks to this facility, thousands will commute to work and
05:01to school, they'll travel to see their families, they'll visit elsewhere in our state and other
05:07states with greater ease and peace of mind than ever before. This is the sort of strategic
05:13investment that elevates Illinois as a national leader in transportation that it once was, and
05:21is becoming once again. Combined with a focus on law enforcement and public safety, today we
05:27celebrate this beautiful new facility and a new day for the county and the region and the people
05:34of this area. So I want to thank all of you again for being here, for believing in that vision, and
05:40for putting in the time and the resources to make it a reality. Seeing it come to fruition
05:47to improve the lives of our state's residents is truly one of my favorite parts of my job.
05:54I know that, you know, when you start a project sometimes as governor, you don't get to be there
06:01to cut the ribbon. You put the money in, maybe the construction starts, but a few years go by,
06:09sometimes you're no longer in office when it comes to fruition, and everybody forgets who was there
06:14at the beginning. But importantly, being able to be here today and be among all of you, and
06:19especially friends who I've now known for, you know, five or six years in office and longer,
06:25I want you to know really it's important to me personally that I get to be here and will be here
06:33for the many, many more projects that we're going to get to cut the ribbons on over the next couple
06:37of years. So thank you all very much, and it's my great pleasure and very pleased to turn this
06:42podium over to a leader at our Department of Transportation, the Deputy Director for Transit,
06:48Shawn Reese. Shawn.
06:57Good morning. Thank you, Governor, for the introduction. I appreciate it. St. Clair County
07:04and bi-state. Secretary Osmond sends his warm regards and congratulations on another successful
07:14project, a project made possible by the Governor's Rebuild Illinois Capital Program.
07:20East St. Louis is a place of rich familial history for me. I have such fond memories of coming home,
07:26as we used to say, to visit family, or as a little girl going downtown to buy Easter
07:31outfits that had to include the socks and the hair bows. So to stand here now to participate
07:38in a ribbon cutting for this great facility is surreal. While this isn't about me, I can't help
07:45but see the interconnection of my familial roots, my employment journey, and public transit in this
07:51place. I got my first job by taking public transit to an interview, and now I get to make sure that
07:59public transit is viable across the state, including right here in my family's community.
08:08With every project that is completed across Illinois, I rejoice because I have the opportunity
08:15to see opening of opportunities for Illinoisans across the state and sustaining for next
08:22generations. Maybe one more person can age gracefully at home, or someone else can get a
08:28job because we're making sure that public transit is available and safe for all who use it. St. Clair
08:34County and bi-state leadership, you are to be commended for having a vision, for being an
08:39advocate for that vision, and for putting your money and ours where your mouth is. Planning is
08:45one thing, but seeing it through to completion is not always an easy feat. Persistence pays off.
08:52Congratulations on the successful completion of this beautiful facility here at Emerson Park.
08:58You understand that public transit is more than just buses on the road. It's more than rails on
09:03tracks. It's the heartbeat of communities. It is lifelines, and it is a pathway out of poverty.
09:10Each rider who uses this facility and each employee who works out of this facility is
09:15ensuring the vibrancy of the community. Thank you for the vision. Thank you for the commitment,
09:20and thank you for thinking of the communities that you serve in our great state. And to all
09:26of you who will get to work out of this facility, let me say thank you. Once all the fanfare is over,
09:32the ribbon is put away, and we've all gone home, you will get to roll up your sleeves and get to
09:38work. The work you do is invaluable, and there's no way any of what we're doing here now would
09:44matter if you didn't show up to do your jobs every day. It is an honor to celebrate the
09:50completion of this facility with you all. Again, congratulations. Thank you.
09:59Thank you, Shawn. You know, if you look across the tracks, you see a perfect example of quality
10:06transit-oriented development. All that isn't possible without the cooperation commitment of
10:12the city that we're in. I'd like to acknowledge the mayor today. Would you please stand up?
10:18Charles Powell. Thank you, mayor. We appreciate you being here today and all you do. Thank you.
10:24At this time, I'd like to welcome our director for the St. Clair County Emergency Management
10:29Agency, whose leadership was instrumental in ensuring this project came to fruition, Herb Simmons.
10:35Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I was under an executive order from the governor to hold
10:42off the wet weather, but I failed on the heat, but I'll try next time, governor. I appreciate it.
10:49As the chairman, and you've heard the governor say, yeah, this was a vision that came about
10:56late one night when the chairman and I was in the office, and we were talking about
11:03when the chairman and I was talking about a new public safety building, and what better place
11:11than right here on the Metrolink over the, I think, correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Oaks, 46 miles
11:18or so, whatever. This is the only building of this kind where we have a public safety building,
11:25and we talked about, you know, build it and they'll come. One of the focus that we had early
11:30on was communications between our public safety, our law enforcement, our security teams needing to
11:36be able to communicate back and forth, and so with the help of the chairman, with the great help of
11:44our great governor, this building is here today for this opening, and I just want to thank each
11:50and every one of you for coming out today helping us celebrate, and then I want to acknowledge Dr.
11:55Debra Moore, who is also on the transit, I mean, on the bi-state board. We couldn't do it without
12:01her leadership, and to all the staff, our 9-1-1s and our public answering safety points, say,
12:07you know, as you just heard, when we go home this afternoon, they're still in there, they're still
12:12answering those 9-1-1 calls, and a new building like this will really make a difference to them.
12:17Thank you very much.
12:23Thank you, Herb, and now let's turn to our local delegation who fought to make this funding
12:29possible, so I think we'll welcome all of them up to the microphone, so we'll, so we'll, if Katie
12:36Stewart, Senator Belt, former Representative Latoya Greenwood, and Assistant Majority House Leader Jay
12:43Hoffman would step up. Let's hear from Senator Belt.
12:51Good morning, good morning. I, the speech that the governor gave was my speech, and so with that being
12:59said, here it is right here, with that being said, I'll just speak from the heart. One of the best
13:05decisions I've ever made as a state legislator, I made it as a freshman in 2019, and that was voting
13:12for the historic 45 billion dollar Rebuild Illinois Capital Program. That, give it up for it, that,
13:24that program is part of the reason why we're here today. This building, nearly 10 million dollars
13:32of the 13 million went into this beautiful program, and so for me, the equation is very, very simple.
13:42You, you increase the public safety profile, that gives confidence to the citizens to use mass
13:49transit. When ridership goes up, pollution goes down, a reduction in pollution goes down, a
13:56reduction in congestion goes down, a reduction in energy use goes down, and then there's the
14:02added benefit of local benefits to local economies and employment opportunities, so it just makes
14:10sense to do this, and you know, I, I remember when we came here for the ribbon cutting, now it's done,
14:20and, and I'll say this, and I'll, I'll stand back in line and let others speak, it was done really, really
14:26quickly and really in a good professional way, and that goes to our unions, and I've seen some, can
14:36you stand up and just raise your hand if you're already here? Guys, you've done a phenomenal job,
14:41and God bless each and every one of you. Thank you.
14:47Hello, how is everyone doing? This is a very exciting day here in the community of East St.
14:55Louis, and when I look at this new building, this new structure, to me it's all about a transformation
15:03of a community and uplifting people and ensuring that they have access to opportunities, not only
15:11here, but around the metro east area, so it is a prime example of what partnership and collaboration
15:19is all about, and we must continue to work together to continue to lift up, right now we're in the 114th
15:26district, so we need to work together to continue to lift up people right here in the metro east. Thank you.
15:39Good morning, everyone. I'm Katie Stewart. I represent the 112th district, which is just a
15:43little bit north of here, but this really speaks to the importance of us as a region, and, you know,
15:49building up any part of the region is good for our entire region. I think all of us up here, when we
15:56ran for office, when we continue to run for office, and we worked long hours up in Springfield and
16:00and here locally, it's all about trying to improve our communities. That's why we do the job that we
16:06do, and this is a tangible example of being able to do that. When we were talking about the capital
16:12bill, it was a lot of numbers on paper and a lot of ideas, and then you saw some drawings and other
16:17things, and it's amazing to now see these things come to fruition. I cannot thank Governor Pritzker
16:23enough for his support of the entire metro east region, your frequent visits, and all the good
16:28news that you always bring. Please keep coming back. We really appreciate that, and I'm really
16:33looking forward to the growth of public transit and the safety on public transit with the addition
16:38of this building. Well, thank you. My name is Jay Hoffman. My district is a little bit
16:47a little bit to the west. The main area is Belleville. The mayor is here today. Let me just
16:54say that it's an honor. This is the fourth capital bill that I've been able to work on, and it was an
17:00honor to see the vision that Governor Pritzker laid out when he ran for office actually pass in
17:06his first year of office. One of the the greatest accomplishments in the time that I've been in the
17:11General Assembly, I believe, is providing jobs and economic development like we did when we passed
17:17this capital bill, a historic $45 billion infrastructure bill. I've been around a little
17:23bit, and I actually worked with then Chairman Barr-Civic when we passed the initial legislation
17:30to allow for Metrolink, and this building is going to help provide the safety and the security
17:39that is needed to make sure that people want to ride Metrolink, want to continue on mass transit,
17:44and I'd like to again thank Chairman Kern, thank the St. Clair County Transit Board, thank the
17:49Mayor of East St. Louis, and thank all of my colleagues who voted for this historic legislation
17:55that made this reality. I want to just say one thing. The Governor goes to a lot of ribbon
18:00cuttings, and he's been so good to us here in the Metro East, but there are other legislators who
18:05will show up at these ribbon cuttings that didn't vote for the bill, right? They like to cut the
18:09ribbon, but they don't want to do the hard part of voting for the bill. We all voted for this bill,
18:15creating jobs and economic opportunity throughout Illinois. Thank you so much.
18:19So true, Jay. Thank you. I appreciate you saying that because that is very true.
18:34And so these projects would not be possible in Illinois without our partnership with the
18:39Bi-State Development Agency, and Deborah Moore sits on that board as well as Terry Beach,
18:44and also joining us today is the Bi-State President and CEO, Talby Roach, to say a few words. Talby.
18:57Thank you, Chairman. Good morning. Good morning, everybody. So what the fun part is is how do we
19:03make this work, and how do you make it work in Illinois? And this is an example of how it works
19:09in Illinois. You have the highest elected official of the state of Illinois here delivering. You have
19:16the highest elected official for St. Clair County here. You have the legislative team making it
19:22happen, all the way down to what? The labor and the frontline workers who have built this facility,
19:32right? It's the magic spice in what we do every day, and the magic spice in politics, right, Governor?
19:38J-O-B-S, right? That's what this is about, and so ladies and gentlemen, what I want you to think
19:46about are the folks who are on those trains and buses, right? We recently did a survey of who is
19:53on those trains and buses. 500 folks. Of those 500 folks, 74% of them earn under $60,000 a year.
20:04Is that an amazing statistic? It tells you who we are taking, and when you ask the same people where
20:10are they going today, 81% of them are going where? They're going to work, ladies and gentlemen. They're
20:18going to work, and that's what a project like this is about. Governor, you know this. It's not about
20:24our fancy suits, right? It's not about these uniforms. It's about those uniforms. It's about
20:31the uniforms of the folks who are on those trains and buses because, ladies and gentlemen, they're
20:36the ones who are rebuilding Illinois. They're the ones who are the future of our region. They're the
20:42ones who are making it happen every day, and this governor keeps showing up, keeps showing up for
20:48the 400 jobs at Gulfstream at our airport. Remember that one? You were responsible for that too.
20:54These people are making it happen. Labor is making it happen. That's what we need to keep working on.
21:00Thank you everybody for showing up.
21:08Great job, Toby. One other person. I know that we have 46 miles of track, but I know it doesn't
21:13reach Calhoun County, but Snow Herkert's here today representing Calhoun County. Thanks for
21:18being here, Snow. So I want to thank everyone who attended this morning to celebrate this event, and
21:27now let's take a moment to officially cut the ribbon and tour this beautiful new facility. Thank you.