Home Rule will give Rockford local control of our own affairs and independence from Springfield, just like the 167 other Illinois communities that currently have it.
Local control, more efficient self-government
Home rule authority means local control and more efficient self-government. Home Rule is automatically granted under the Illinois Constitution to all communities of more than 25,000 and allows local governments greater power to make relevant decisions on matters of local concern. Non-Home Rule cities must to a much greater extent rely on the state legislature in Springfield for help. In the 34 years Home Rule has existed in Illinois, it has consistently proven to be a critical tool for better government. Every scholarly study of Home Rule finds it to be a largely positive and effective tool for the cities and citizens in which it is adopted.
Without Home Rule, we are limited to what the State of Illinois says we can do, which isn't much. With Home Rule, we can decide to do what we want as long as the State doesn't prohibit it. We could pass an ordinance to crack down on drug houses. We could pass an ordinance to keep kids in school by controlling truancy. We could pass an ordinance to shut down absentee slumlords who do not comply with local property laws or who rent to drug-related criminals. We could have passed an ordinance to help erase the ill effects of graffiti - instead, we had to ask Springfield for an ordinance and it took three years to get it done.
It's hard for our State legislators to enact such legislation. Why? Of our five state representatives, only two live in Rockford. In the House of Representatives, we only have 3 seats out of 118. We have two of the 49 in the Illinois Senate. It's a well known fact that Chicago dominates Springfield and always will. We've never received our fair share of state resources for our community - and are unlikely to when our State representatives spend so much time getting local legislation passed in Springfield. Having Home Rule in Rockford could free them up to concentrate on "bringing home the bacon."
Rockford, with its population of 150,000, is Illinois' third largest city - and its second-most important city economically. We are now the only city of our size (indeed, the only City over 25,000 in population!) that does not have Home Rule, while all the cities we compete with have it.
Will Home Rule make our local leaders more accountable? It stands to reason that with Home Rule's enhanced local power and responsibility comes accountability. The power that now resides in Springfield will shift to Rockford's locally elected officials, making them accountable for their actions. Empower Rockford believes we should stop playing our current costly, time-consuming game of "Mother May I" with Springfield. Rockford should hold the reins to its own destiny - not the 115 other representatives or the 47 other senators in Springfield who do not represent us or our interests. Without having to tend to local Rockford concerns in the State legislature, our representatives in Springfield will be better poised to bring home state dollars to address our long neglected infrastructure needs.