Press Release: Oct 18, 2005 (10:24 am)


Letter Also Sent to Governor, Attorney General

CHICAGO – Oct. 18, 2005 – In a letter to members of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, Cesar Santoy, Executive Director, Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, Mary Gonzales-Koenig, President and CEO, Spanish Coalition for Jobs and Juan Rangel, CEO, United Neighborhood Organization urged members of the General Assembly to remove politics from the debate surrounding electric restructuring in Illinois.  The three CORE Advisory Committee members also informed the legislators of the importance of reliable electricity to their organizations. 

The full text of the letter is below:

October 18, 2005

Dear Senator:

The advancement of the Illinois Latino community, making up almost 13% of the Illinois population, greatly depends on a healthy economy that is fueled by a reliable source of electricity.  However, in recent weeks, it has become apparent to Hispanic Americans across the state that the Illinois electric industry is being threatened.  As you prepare to return to Springfield for the General Assembly’s Fall Veto Session, the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA), the Spanish Coalition for Jobs (SCJ), and the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) hope you’ll keep in mind a few of our concerns regarding the state’s electricity industry.

HACIA, SCJ, and UNO, organizations which collectively represent thousands of Illinois Latinos, depend on a reliable electricity infrastructure to support our mission in providing employment opportunities, leadership and empowerment to the Latino Community throughout the state.  For nearly three decades, HACIA, SCJ and UNO have successfully assisted minorities and minority-owned businesses in achieving economic growth and educational development, while helping to prevent discriminatory practices. In order to continue our work and ensure job participation and security for Hispanic Americans, we need a stable Illinois economy that is powered by a reliable electric industry.

The last thing the members of HACIA, SCJ and UNO want is to worry about is the loss of employment opportunities and a threatened economy because utilities weren’t allowed to secure power on the open market. We need strong local utilities, confidence in how Illinois will buy its power and moreover, certainty in knowing that the Illinois economy will remain strong.

As you know, there are those who want to derail our state’s ongoing transition to a more competitive electricity industry. It is of great importance to HACIA, SJC, and UNO that decisions about the future of electricity pricing and delivery should be left to objective and informed energy experts at the Illinois Commerce Commission.  The Hispanic American community asks you to discourage or vote against any such legislation.  The General Assembly passed a restructuring act in 1997 that is working; we simply cannot turn back now.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Cesar Santoy, Executive Director, Hispanic American Construction Industry Association

Mary Gonzales-Koenig, President, CEO and Founder, Spanish Coalition for Jobs

Juan Rangel, CEO, United Neighborhood Organization

CORE is a coalition of business, labor, community and energy groups that support the preservation of reliable electricity, the transition of the industry to competition, and energy decisions made by the experts at the Illinois Commerce Commission.  CORE’s Advisory Committee represent over 100,000 businesses and over 1 million individuals.

 For more information visit the CORE web site at www.illinoiscore.org.

For more information:

Media Liaison
Avis LaVelle
312-223-0581