When the state of Illinois raised its personal income tax by 66 percent and corporate income tax by 46 percent a week or so ago, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard sprang into action.
In less than a week, Ballard had full-page ads running in three Illinois newspapers, including one in Chicago.
"Dear Illinois business leader," Ballard said in the ad. "As you consider the impact of large, new state tax increases on your company's bottom line and ability to hire, I invite you to take a serious look at Indianapolis. The nation's 13th largest city is right next door, offering the same Midwestern work ethic and conveniences -- but in a much more stable, affordable and pro-growth economic environment."
I'd say the good mayor got his foot in the door.
While Ballard was acting, Northwest Indiana was, well, holding a meeting.
That's not surprising. Northwest Indiana holds lots of meetings, largely because the region lacks a leader -- a go-to guy when a command decision is needed.
The NWI Forum, the Construction Advancement Foundation and the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority were the local agencies who huddled to discuss the Illinois tax situation.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they took the initiative to meet. But something is missing in Northwest Indiana -- a rather big void, if you will.
The Forum, CAF and the CVA are just three of a multitude of organizations across Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.
While each of those three agencies has its own mission -- or some would say turf to protect -- they don't represent the totality of Northwest Indiana.
Yeah, something is missing.
Indianapolis has an advantage because it is the state capital and the dominant city in central Indiana.
Northwest Indiana has a multitude of towns and cities -- each watching its own back while mostly embracing the status quo. The only vision here is nearsightedness. And the largest city in this area is bankrupt. Can it get any worse?
What Northwest Indiana needs is something to pull a multitude of agencies together for the common good.
Let's say the Forum, CAF and the CVA and representatives of 12 other agencies and a few political bodies meet every month or every other month to discuss the common good. Egos, of course, would have to be checked at the door.
Call it the Legion of Leaders or something else kind of catchy.
There are any number of things they could tackle to advance the region. A few that come to mind are the Illiana Expressway, expanded commuter rail, Gary Airport expansion, lakeshore reclamation, casino expansion and the construction of a megaconvention center.
Each of those issues has its own cheerleaders, but they rarely convene to exchange thoughts and knowledge.
The Legion of Leaders could fill that void.
It all makes me think back to 1995 when a group of NWI leaders from different walks of life came together to build Planet Park.
It was to be the new home for the Chicago Bears. Besides the stadium, which would have been built along Cline Avenue in Gary, it would have been home to year-round shops, other athletic facilities and housing.
In all my years here, I have never seen such an effort. It was more intense than a 2-minute drill at the end of a football game.
The whole thing would have been wonderful for the Bears, but not so good for Lake County residents, who would have had to pay an income tax to support the team and the project.
In the end the County Council rejected the tax.
I still think the Bears were using NWI to get what it wanted from Chicago.
Regardless, NWI came together to advance the region. Unfortunately, we didn't really learn from that experience.