SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for Illinois governor, says the state needs to put more emphasis on mass transit instead of traditional road projects.

Whitney said he believes automobiles are an outmoded form of transportation and any future capital construction packages should focus on more sustainable forms, including inter-city and intra-city rail or bike paths.

“We need the political will and new leadership in Springfield to get us where everyone knows we need to be,” he said.

The Carbondale, Ill. attorney said the state’s priorities should be flipped in a capital plan, spending more on mass transit rather than road or highway construction or renovation.

Whitney ran as the Illinois Green Party’s first gubernatorial candidate in 2006 and earned more than 10 percent of the vote, establishing the party in the state. His stop in Springfield today was part of a nine-day statewide “sustainable transportation tour” using bikes and mass transit systems. The tour also includes a bike trip from Belleville to Centralia later this week.

His plan for paying the costs of a package includes creating a state bank modeled after North Dakota’s financial system and pass a constitutional amendments allowing a progressive income tax structure to replace Illinois’ flat tax system.

Whitney is running against incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn and Republican state Sen. Bill Brady in the November general election.

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2010/05/whitney-promotes-green-capital-plan-in-run-for-illinois-governor/