Chicago City Treasurer is on a mission to change people’s lives
Melissa Conyears-Ervin is the Chicago City Treasurer. PHOTO PROVIDED
BY THE CITY TREASURER’S OFFICE.
Conyears-Ervin wanted to be part of the solution and decided to run for Illinois State Representative. She passed key legislation, which included bringing additional funding to CPS, as well as fighting to restore the childcare assistance that was cut and affected almost 15,000 families.
“I was so honored to work on that behalf and champion families, champion for childcare providers. We were able to, through the legislation that I proposed and passed, to restore those families to re-qualify for childcare assistance. It meant a lot for me as a young mother, working mother,” she said.
Running for City Treasurer was a no brainer for Conyears-Ervin who wanted to use her education in finance, as well as her love for people and her desire for the betterment of the community. In February, Conyears-Ervin won re-election and there were no challengers. She was elected by the people, so she reports to the people. She was surprised she was unopposed, but she works hard every day, even with a pandemic going on, which happened months into her first term.
Conyears-Ervin has been bringing the City Treasurer’s Office to the people and financially empowering the residents of Chicago. The job hasn’t been easy, but it is necessary and has been fulfilling for her. Throughout the pandemic, it was important to Conyears-Ervin that small business owners stayed afloat. There was the Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund, which provided loan assistance to business owners. Now, there is a partnership with the City Treasurer’s Office and Goldman Sachs. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program provides free resources to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The application process is open until Tuesday, June 6th.
“We want to help them to do two things: we want to help them generate revenue and if they’re already generating revenue, we want them to increase revenue. We also want to help them increase jobs,” she said, adding that small business owners are more inclined to invest in the community.
Conyears-Ervin wants to bring the relationships she has to the community, through programs and initiatives. She advocates for homeownership as a way towards generational wealth. The Hope Inside Program helps Chicagoans increase their credit score so they can qualify for mortgages.
In 2020, Conyears-Ervin launched Money Mondays with Melissa, to help residents and small business owners with financial information. She wanted to have an aggregate of resources for residents and small business owners. Three years later, the virtual webinar continues to provide much needed information and resources.
Conyears-Ervin described her first term as life-changing and fulfilling. It has been fulfilling for her to help residents throughout the city. “I’m always thinking about what groups we can help, who is in need and how can we help them,” she said.
For more information about the City Treasurer’s Office and programs, visit chicagocitytreasurer.com or follow the City Treasurer’s Office on Social Media.
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