Greg Baise | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Baise in 2017 | |
| Illinois Secretary of Transportation | |
| In office November 1984 – November 1989 | |
| Governor | Jim Thompson |
| Preceded by | John D. Kramer[1] |
| Succeeded by | Kirk Brown[2] |
| Jacksonville, Illinois, alderman | |
| In office 1975–1978 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-04-13)April 13, 1952 (age 73) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Tonya |
| Children | 2 |
Gregory W. Baise[3] (born April 13, 1952) is an American politician who served as the president and CEO of theIllinois Manufacturers' Association from 1991 until 2019. Before that, he had worked in several political and government roles, including leadingIDOT as Illinois secretary of transportation under governorJim Thompson in the 1980s. Baise is aRepublican, and inin 1990 was his party's unsuccessful nominee forIllinois treasurer. In recent decades, he has been involved in a number ofpolitical action committees (PACs).
Baise was born April 13, 1952, inJacksonville, Illinois.[4] He grew up on a farm nearby.[4] He graduated from Triopia High School in 1970, and went on to attendIllinois College in Jacksonville.[4] He graduated from Illinois College in 1974.[5]
Baise spent his final two summers of college as an intern at theUnited States House of Representatives at the time of theWatergate hearings.[4] After graduating from college, Baise was elected analderman (city councilor) in Jacksonville.[4] He served as alderman from 1975 through 1978.[6] His employment outside of his elected office was in the admission's department of Illinois College.[4]
During the1976 Illinois gubernatorial election, Baise volunteered for the campaign ofJim Thompson.[4] This began a fourteen-year period in which he would hold various roles as a staffer for Thompson.[7] After Thompson's victory, Baise was hired to serve as a travel aide to Governor Thompson.[4] In 1979, he became Thompson's scheduler, heading the governor's scheduling office.[4][8] Effective January 5, 1981, he became Thompson's personnel director, a role in which he oversaw the governor'spatronage appointments.[4][8][9] At the same time that he became the personnel director, he also was named an assistant to Arthur Quern, the director of government operations.[8] Baise was the campaign manager of Thompson's1986 reelection campaign,[5][9][10] and during the1984 United States presidential election managed theIllinois operations ofRonald Reagan'spresidential reelection campaign.[4][9]
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In November 1984, Baise was appointed by Thompson as Illinois Secretary of Transportation, making him the director of theIllinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).[4][11]
Under Baise, an emergency number *999 was created as the Cellular Express Line to be used by expressway motorists withmobile phones (then on the rise) in theChicago-area. Baise announced the program in August 1989.[12][13] In November 1989, Baise told local officials that IDOT had decided that it would only complete a portion of the planned route ofIllinois Route 390.[14] During his tenure, work was completed by IDOT to upgradeU.S. Route 51 in Illinois.[15] In 1989, Baise was, appointed to also serve as the chairman of the Governor's Earthquake Preparedness Task Force.[16]
During the1988 United States presidential election, Baise served as an advisor toGeorge H. W. Bush'scampaign operationsin Illinois,[4] and ran itsSouthern Illinois operations.[9]
Baise was involved in the Chicago Airport Capacity Study in partnership with the state's ofWisconsin andIndiana. The study concluded that a new airport would need to be constructed by the year 2000, and should be located in the southern part of the region.[17] The study and its conclusions drew criticism for its cost projections and passenger projections, among other critiques.[17][18] The technical committee of the study, which consisted of the planning departments of the three states, had departed from the full committee, with its own conclusions arguing that the region's existing airports could sufficiently meet demand in the foreseeable future.[17] Despite the technical committee's continlusion, the policy committee of the study led by Baise along withAldo DeAngelis andLieutenant Governor of IllinoisGeorge Ryan continued ahead with studying options for an additional airport.[17] Baise continued serving as chairman of the Third Airport Policy Committee as plans continued.[19]
In 1989, the Illinois-Indiana Regional Airport Study was formed, and its commission studied four potential sites, includingGary Airport, a site along the Illinois-Indiana border,Peotone, Illinois, andKankakee, Illinois. This study also, at the urging of newly elected Chicago mayorRichard M. Daley, added the proposedLake Calumet airport to their study.[17] After Wisconsin got its demand of havingMilwaukee Mitchell International Airport named as Chicago's "supplemental" airport, the state withdrew from its participation in the study, leaving just Illinois and Indiana.[17][18]
November 16, 1989, Baise resigned as Secretary of Transportation in order to focus on his campaign running forIllinois treasurer in1990.[20]
Baise won the Republican nomination, but lost general election to DemocratPat Quinn[4] He campaigned on a message ofconservatism.[7] His opponent, Quinn, campaigned as apopulistreformer in opposition to big government.[7] his campaign adopted a tactic of painting Quinn as a longtime anti-establishmentdemagogue.[7] His campaign also criticized Quinn for his failed1986 treasurer campaign and for having considered runs for various other offices before opting to run again for treasurer.[7] His campaign also painted Quinn as having had few accomplishments.[7] He criticized Quinn's plan to close what Quinn had called a "tax loophole".[7] Quinn had lobbied for the state to impose a sales tax on farm machinery.[7]
One of Baise's campaign proposals was to establish a "College Savings Plan" to enable the treasurer's office to help students and families afford the cost ofhigher education.[15] He also promised to modernize the office through technology.[15] This included establishing electronic transfers of funds.[7] He additionally promised to expand the Illinois Public Treasurers’ Investment Pool through collaboration with municipal governments and local treasurers.[15] He also pledged that he would request the Illinois General Assembly establish an advisory board to give him recommendations on where he should invest state money.[7] During his campaign, there was an incident in which his two-engine plane lost power and landed in awheat field nearPontiac, Illinois. There were no injuries incurred in this icident.[9] During the campaign, Quinn accused Baise of improper conduct by accepting a loan from a road contractor while serving as Illinois Secretary of Transportation.[21] Baise ultimately lost to Quinn by an 11.4 point margin.[22] Of all the major-party nominees for Illinois statewide offices in 1990, Baise received the least votes, the greatest margin of defeat, and the lowest percentage of the vote in his race.[22]
On March 1, 1991, Baise succeeded Arthur R. Gottschalk as president of theIllinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA).[23][24] He later also became CEO.[4]
As head of the organization, Baise quickly involved himself in lobbying business issues, including regulatory reforms such as thederegulation of electrical utilities and efforts to alterworkers' compensation laws.[9] He was credited with overseeing a revitalization of the IMA's education foundation.[9] During his tenure, IMA was involved with successfully pushing for the repeal of the Illinois Structural Work Act, the institution of the Manufacturer's Purchase Credit, the passage of significant reforms to workers' compensation andunemployment insurance, major reforms totort law and education policies, and the passage of landmarkhydraulic fracturing legislation.[5] In 2004, Baise founded Xpress Professional Services, a for-profit subsidiary of IMA.[9][5] Xpress Professional Services is a political fulfillment firm which delivers such services asdirect mail, radio, and television production and placement for candidates.[5] The firm would also, in 2006, establish apolling service named We Ask America.[5][25]
In 2018, Baise announced that he would retire as president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association effective January 1, 2019. He also announced that he would continue to head the organizations' subsidiary for-profit political strategy and marketing firm Xpress Professional Services.[9][26][27]
Baise has been involved with a number ofpolitical action committees (PACs). During his tenure as head of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, had its own political action committee called Manufacturers PAC, also known as MPAC.[28] In 2004, Baise, became the lead co-founder of the Illinois Coalition for Jobs, a501(c) organization.[5] In 2008, he andRonald Gidwitz formed the Economic Freedom Alliance, a527 organization, to oppose the passage of theEmployee Free Choice Act.[5] Baise has served as treasurer of New Prosperity Foundation political action committee since it was founded during the2010 election cycle.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Baise serves as chairman of Ideas Illinois PAC.[36][37] In 2019, he founded the Vote No on Blank Check Amendment Committee to oppose theIllinois Fair Tax.[38] He served as head of the committee.[39]
Baise and his wife, Tonya, have two children.[7]
At various points of his life Baise has lived in different places in Illinois, includingChicago, Jacksonville,[4]Lemont,[40]Oak Brook,Springfield,[7] andWillowbrook.
 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Baise | 594,238 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 594,238 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Patrick Quinn | 1,740,742 | 55.7 | |
| Republican | Greg Baise | 1,384,492 | 44.3 | |
| Write-in | Paul Salander | 55 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 3,125,289 | 100 | ||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forIllinois Treasurer 1990 | Succeeded by |