State Of The Southland: Village of Matteson

Sheila Chalmers-Currin has been the President of the Village of Matteson since 2017. Photo provided by STH Media.
Sheila Chalmers-Currin has been the President of the Village of Matteson since 2017. Photo provided by STH Media.

State Of The Southland: Village of Matteson

By Tia Carol Jones

Sheila Chalmers-Currin has been the President of the Village of Matteson since 2017. Prior to that Chalmers-Currin served as a Village Trustee for eight years. She said that she decided to run for Mayor because she wanted to give back to the community, as she believes that everyone should want to give back to their respective communities.

“This position is a calling, it’s my assignment and I hope to do it well. Giving back to my community is a positive way to make an impact, a major impact in the place where I live,” she said.

The Village of Matteson was incorporated in 1889 and was named for the Illinois Governor Joel A. Matteson. According to United State Census data, the population of the Village is 18,566. When Chalmers became Mayor, the Village of Matteson faced multiple closings of retail.  The Lincoln Mall Shopping Center had just closed and Chalmers-Currin was tasked with putting the Village back on good financial standing.

Now, the Village has a AA- credit rating, restaurants and retail have opened. There is an Amazon Distribution Center, a Sam’s Club, and a Pete’s Market in the Village. Chalmers-Currin said the Village is much more secure than it ever was.

Mayor Chalmers-Currin credits community leaders with helping to rebuild the Village of Matteson, including the Village Board. She said having a board that believes in the vision and wants to follow their leader is important. She said the rest of the Village’s staff has also worked diligently and tirelessly to ensure that the Village flourished. She also credited U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Illinois State Senator Mike Hastings, Illinois State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin and Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan.

“All of those individuals stood with me with what I was faced with to indicate that we would move forward, we would move as a unit, together to bring about the Village recovering from all that had happened to it,” she said.

The Village of Matteson recently announced a partnership with Rich Township for a campaign aimed at addressing the mental health crisis by having resident’s check-in on their neighbors, family and friends.

Mayor Chalmers-Currin said that there are several interested parties that want to partner with the Village to help move it to the next level. Her vision for the future of the Village of Matteson is to redevelop the former Lincoln Mall site. Market Square Crossing, Chalmers-Currin said would be the catalyst for putting the Village where she believes it should be. She said the residents also agree that they want to see something at the site that is mixed-use and would make Matteson a destination for tourists and residents.

Mayor Chalmers-Currin said that so many new partners have come to the Village since she has taken office. She said that she is proud of everything that is going on in the community, including both a new police chief and a new fire chief. She said the community is growing in a way that is pushing the Village of Matteson to the next level.

For more information about the Village of Matteson and to stay connected, visit www.villageofmatteson.org.

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