“It's important to learn how to serve people from the start... And you can't serve people unless you care for them.”

This was the theme State Senator Kyle McCarter presented to the Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce last Thursday evening.

McCarter represents the 51st Legislative District which includes part of Shelby County. He is currently serving on six committees and two subcommittees in the Illinois General Assembly. He also has experience as a small business owner and has served on the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce and on the city’s economic development committee.

“There are very few people in Springfield that understand the risk of owning a small business and there are very few people in Springfield who appreciate that risk,” McCarter said.

McCarter shared his personal experiences and what he has learned as a small business owner.

“It comes down to investing in the community. It’s about serving the people,” he said. “You go into business to help others. It’s the law of sowing and reaping. If you invest in people, there will be an award that comes back to you.”

McCarter encouraged business owners to work together - bringing skills and needs together.

“You’ve got to understand the math of businesses working together, helping each other. In a small community that can be huge,” he said.

McCarter said that one of his goals for the 51st District is to create more jobs.

“Whatever I can do to invest in the people I’m serving, I’m going to do,” he promised.

In talking about the state, McCarter said he believes the only way it can go is up.

“We failed. We ask ‘Well, whose fault is it?’ I’m not sure it really matters. We need to come together and make this thing work,” he said.

“What we’ve got is a situation in this state where we have run off businesses. We have lost one-third of the manufacturing jobs in three years. We didn’t lose to India. We’re losing to Indiana,” McCarter said. “If we don’t reduce the cost of doing business in the state, we’re not going to attract the jobs that we need to turn this thing around.”

He said that he believes that if the state can control its spending, things can turn around.

“There is no reason to give the state who can’t control spending more money,” McCarter said. “We don’t have a tax rate problem, we have a tax revenue problem. Instead of increasing the tax burden, the State needs to ask ‘What can we do to help’.”