http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/05/08/opinion/131471.txt

Working together will help Pontiac survive latest blow

5/8/2008

Bloomington Pantagraph

Pantagraph Editorial Board

The past four months have been difficult for Pontiac. First there was the flooding in January that displaced hundreds of people and closed several businesses and a school.

Then, the federal government initially denied disaster assistance.

Last month, a major employer announced it was laying off 69 people - more than 20 percent of its work force.

Now, the governor is threatening to close the Pontiac Correctional Center, placing more than 500 jobs directly in jeopardy, with potential ripple effects throughout the area.

No one can blame Pontiac residents for mumbling, "What next?"

But the same determination and community spirit that helped Pontiac get through the Vermilion River flooding will help its residents face these latest challenges.

People pitched in to help their neighbors. Volunteers had to be turned away. Eventually, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reviewed and reversed its decision on disaster aid.

As for the layoffs at Interlake Material Handling, we hope they will only be temporary and laid off workers will be back on the job soon as market conditions improve.

That brings us to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's proposal to close the Pontiac prison and send its inmates to Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois and elsewhere.

It's tempting to dismiss the proposal as yet another of the governor's minimally researched plans, seemingly pulled out of thin air and likely to go nowhere.

A year ago, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said there were no plans to close more prisons. State Rep. Keith Sommer said he was told a few weeks ago there was no reason for Pontiac to worry.

But residents of Pontiac and the rest of this area cannot afford to bet on this being another Blagojevich bluff. A study four years ago estimated the economic impact of closing the prison at $40 million.

Instead of sitting back and hoping for the best, they must mobilize themselves as they did during and after the flood to come to the rescue of their community.

That means gathering facts and fully participating in hearings that must be held before the prison can be closed.

These may be political games to the governor and some politicians, but these are real people, not chess pieces, who are being stressed out and seeing their futures stuck in limbo.

Many prison employees live in surrounding communities and the jobs of many other people depend on those workers, who are customers of restaurants, retailers and others. This isn't just Pontiac's problem. We're all in this together and we all must work together.