CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is condemning Governor Bruce Rauner’s baseless remarks against Champaign-Urbana.

During a radio interview in Chicago last Friday, Rauner criticized Champaign-Urbana’s workers and transportation systems.

“Champaign-Urbana is wonderful,” Rauner told WGN AM-720. “But it’s very hard to keep a company of more than six people there. There’s no convenient transportation, not much of a workforce, and it’s very hard.”

Bennett is surprised and disappointed in Governor Rauner’s claims against the workforce.

“I have personally been on a tour of the University of Illinois Research Park with Governor Rauner where we learned that the Research Park has 2,000 employees in high-tech fields and more than 100 companies in just one area of Champaign-Urbana. Then he talks about how ‘it’s hard to keep a company of more than six people there.’ That’s just outright dishonest, frankly. He knows what we have here.”

Recent reports also show that Champaign is one of the fastest growing cities in the state and is outperforming neighboring cities in employment and wage growth, according to data compiled by the state of Illinois.

“I think Champaign-Urbana offers the ideal setting for a public-private partnership,” Bennett said. “We have some of the best minds in the country here on the faculty at University of Illinois and we have some of the top students in the country and the world, so companies like Caterpillar, Anheuser-Busch or brand new start-ups can come here and find employees like our students who are just starting their careers and can bring their brain power and fresh new ideas.”

Bennett also said that the governor’s comments are harmful to the effort to attract more jobs into downstate communities and in Illinois.

“It’s so frustrating,” Bennett said. “As we try to attract jobs to Champaign-Urbana, to Danville, or to Rantoul from out of state, a simple Google search will tell you that our governor continues to be not our biggest cheerleader, which we need him to be, but instead he’s our biggest naysayer.”

DANVILLE – To provide assistance and listen to concerns on local and state issues, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is hosting an Open House at his new district office in Danville.

Free and open to the public, the event is from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 22 at the former federal courthouse on 201 N. Vermilion Street, Danville.

CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is hosting an Estate and Succession Planning Workshop with CliftonLarsonAllen Champaign County Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial on Wednesday, June 13.

“Estate and succession planning is essential to the process of passing a farm on to the next generation as smoothly and successfully as possible,” Bennett said. “I encourage everyone to come learn about important rules related to taxes, land transfers, incorporation and more.”

The joint session will be held at the Champaign County Farm Bureau (801 N Country Fair Drive) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Discussions will include tax changes and issues to address, as well as considerations for succession and retirement plnning.