Going private, or not?

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is on the record saying he has no intentions of selling the state’s tollway system, a multibillion dollar idea Chicago and Indiana already pursued. At the same time, the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability hired Credit Suisse (see links on the left) consulting firm to study the value of the Illinois Tollway. Sen. Jeff Schoenberg also scheduled four Senate committee hearings this summer, the next to be held in Springfield August 15. (You can listen to the May 26 and 31 meetings by clicking on the MP3 files to the left.)

While the governor says he has no intentions of selling the tollway, he has proposed selling another state asset, the Illinois Lottery, as a way to boost education funding (see my May 23 blog).

Want more context? Indiana reporter Pat Guinane explored the “Public to Private” trend in the June Illinois Issues. Charlie Wheeler will give another perspective, whether it’s fiscally responsible, in his column for the July/August issue.