SOUTH SUBURBAN MAYORS AND MANAGERS ASSOCIATION ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT
South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association Elects New President
BY KATHERINE NEWMAN
Tyrone Ward serves as the Mayor of the Village of Robbins and as of this month, he has also been elected to be the new president of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association which oversees 45 municipalities and about 700,000 people who live south of Chicago.
The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association is an intergovernmental agency that provides a support system for 45 municipalities south of the City of Chicago. The leaders of these communities, located in Cook and Will Counties, come together to work cooperatively on various issues that affect the area.
“What the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association does is to make sure that we’re being equitable in terms of providing and overseeing various services like transportation, economic development, recycling, joint purchasing efforts, water and open space planning, you name it “ said Ward. “It’s a lot to deal with, but we’re more than capable. Those are the types of things that we’re going to be tackling plus more and I’m going to be putting an emphasis on making sure that we do those things in an equitable manner.”
As the new president of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, Ward has already begun advocating amongst his colleagues and in Springfield for the proposed South Suburban Airport which he said will bring needed investment to the south suburbs of Chicago.
“We are interested in a third airport” said Ward. “This particular endeavor will bring in new global cargo, it’ll bring in cash, it’ll enhance all areas, not only just the south suburbs but Joliet, Kankakee, Bloomington, Champaign, even down to Springfield, and even parts of Northwest Indiana. It will be an economic engine and provide prosperity and jobs across the entire southern region and be beneficial to everyone.”
In addition to discussions about the potential third airport, Ward and his colleagues are also working with state officials on an array of pending legislation including the possibility of legalizing recreational marijuana, changing the state income tax system, and instituting sports betting and gaming, according to information provided by Mayor Ward.
“We are very interested in gaming,” said Ward. “What we’re looking at when it comes to gaming is a new casino location and we are pushing for one in the south suburbs because it would help us in a multitude of ways,” said Ward.
While Mayor Ward has always and will always be focused on leading the Village of Robbins, he said that he sees being president of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association as a “golden opportunity” to show what Chicago’s south suburban communities can do together and for each other.
“These particular challenges affect the entire Southland and by helping everyone we are also helping Robbins. There’s an old saying that everyone can lead and I’m just doing my part in this particular leadership role and showing that all of us can lead,” said Ward.
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