Ox Goad Info

Chicago – Baxter Swilley, the Independent Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and running mate of Scott Lee Cohen, has hit the ground running in Guam as he works to secure business expansion opportunities for Illinois companies.

“We have already held a series of meetings with local government officials from Guam and we will hold similar meetings with officials from the U.S. as we work toward our stated goal of identifying areas of opportunity for Illinois businesses, large and small.”

At stake is a share of the estimated $18-$22 billion dollars in federal contracts that the U.S. government has set aside for the expansion of its military operations on the Island of Guam. Swilley, who is traveling with a group that includes Gerald Paulsen of Elgin-based Paulsen Productions, has high hopes that his meetings will result in possible contracts for Illinois companies.

“At the very least,” says Swilley, “We want to identify where those opportunities are and how the companies in Illinois can access them.”

Before embarking on his mission, Swilley discovered that most businesses in Illinois were unaware of the U.S. government’s multi-billion dollar military expansion plans on Guam.

“As our statewide economy continues to suffer under the weight of a soaring deficit, Scott Lee Cohen and I have made business expansion and job creation our number one campaign priority. While other candidates are just talking about jobs, we’re doing something about it. We are going all out to attract new businesses to Illinois and the jobs they will bring.”

Swilley’s message will also be featured at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, during the International Seminar at the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce Convention at the Hyatt/McCormick.