A VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
By Rich Trzupek
Sutton
The State of Illinois lost a good friend and invaluable resource last year. It was a loss that didn�t have to be�shouldn�t have been�but it reflects the sheer stupidity or insufferable obstinance of the state today. Perhaps both.
Donald Sutton, PE is not a name that many will recognize. This is not the curly-haired pitcher who starred for the Dodgers and eventually made the Hall of Fame. This is a personable, hard-working engineer with a bad comb-over who did as much as anyone in the state to bring businesses and jobs to Illinois.
Just so we�re clear at the outset, Dan Sutton, PE is very much alive. (As is Dan Sutton, Hall of Famer, by the way.) Sutton didn�t pass away, he just passed out of government service into the private sector, where his talents will be richly rewarded�as they should be�but everyone in the state will be the poorer because he was forced to make such a move.
Don was Manager of the Permit Section at the Illinois EPA�s Bureau of Air. It�s a relatively obscure position to most people unless, like your humble correspondent, they happen to work in the business.
Securing an air permit is a key to attracting industry to this, or any, state. Big industry brings big jobs and big bucks, but it also impacts the air�more often than not�which means that the speed and ease with which a plant can secure an air permit is a key consideration when building a new plant.
In some states, like Arkansas and North Carolina, the process is so easy that no one worries about it. Their states use �easy permitting� as an effective economic development tool.
In others, like Ohio and New Jersey, the permit process is a never-ending nightmare. Many industrial developers don�t even consider states like those, knowing that it can take years to secure permission to build a plant.
Illinois falls somewhere in between these extremes. The rules are strict and public opposition groups are very active, but the state has still managed to attract its fair share of industry, despite the obstacles. Credit for that record goes chiefly to Sutton and his brilliant deputy, Chris Romaine.
Sutton understood that his job didn�t end at protecting the environment. It began there. The trick was to find ways to protect the environment and to attract economic development at the same time. He understood the larger picture, while too many of his contemporaries, in other states, retreated into the safe haven of their narrowly defined charge. So many of them defaulted to �no��it was the safe answer. Sutton looked for ways to say �yes� that satisfied everyone.
His legacy is nothing short of remarkable. During his tenure, Illinois cut emissions of air pollutants by more than half, while it also secured important new industries like a Mitsubishi assembly plant, dozens of clean-burning regional power plants and state-of-the-art coal-fired power generation facility�Prairie Energy�that will kick-start Illinois� long-dominant coal industry.
So how do you lose a resource like that? It�s quite simple: pretend that he doesn�t matter.
Ten years ago, when Illinois massively expanded its permit program (by federal mandate) I recall a speech that Sutton gave. He said that he would prefer �hiring 20 top-flight engineers at $50,000 per year then hiring 40 inexperienced engineers at $25,000 per year.� (Pay scales were a bit lower back then.) Predictably, the powers-that-be ignored him. Quantity counted for more than quality in the state�s spreadsheet.
Don made do, as he always did.
So it was ironic when, 10 years later, Sutton found himself caught in the same insensible logic. A massive increase in permit fees should have allowed the state to pay Sutton at least something close to what he was worth. That didn�t happen, for a couple of reasons.
First, the Blagojevich/Madigan budgets took a hunk of those funds�which were supposed to support the EPA�and �swept� the cash into the general fund, where the money would fund pet projects of the governor�s buddies. Secondly, what was left would largely go to pay for overtime pay of hourly workers. Salaried staff�aka management�got (and get) whatever amount that was authorized and not a penny more. It didn�t come close to what the private sector could pay.
From my point of view, doubling�or even trebling�Sutton�s salary would be a no-brainer. Given his experience, dedication and skill, Sutton would bring in far more in permit fees than he would ever cost the state in salary.
I don�t know his replacement. He may do a great job, but�even if he is up to Sutton�s standard�he will soon bump up against the same ceiling that Don did. Sooner or later this position will be filled by someone who is worth no more than the salary we offer, when it should employ someone whose value matches the importance of the job.
Don is now a competitor. That�s OK. There�s plenty of business out there and I have no doubt that he will reap the rewards he so richly deserves. We�ll both do just fine. (And, as the Pro from Dover, I�ll do better, damnit.) The only losers in this equation are the people of the State of Illinois.
And that�s a shame.
