Park Forest Mayor Joseph A. Woods and Village Manager Tom Mick went to Springfield, Illinois, and Washington D.C., in late April and early May for lobbying efforts.
Mick said there were separate agendas for the two trips. In Springfield, they wanted to stem the tide of what they consider bad legislation being proposed that would adversely impact local governments like Park Forest. On the other hand, Woods and Mick’s trip to the nation’s capital to meet with lawmakers like U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-2nd) focused on funding for various Village operations.
“When we went to Springfield, we wanted to talk to legislators about ideas that are being brought to the floor, like eliminating the grocery tax,” Mick said. “We wanted to convey to state lawmakers there’s legislation that’s being considered that could hurt our community financially.”
Mick added, “When we went to D.C., the goals were twofold: secure resources for the Village and maintain and build relationships.”
Mick said he and the mayor were joined by Village officials from Matteson, Richton Park, and SouthCom – as three communities are a part of the SouthCom Coalition. There were seven meetings in one day while in Washington, and for each meeting, Village officials had to go through “airport-like” security. Sharing the stage with three other communities, Mick said he and the mayor had to be strategic, as their talking points covered a range of things from improving infrastructure to getting more funding for police and fire.
Of the priorities noted in the meetings, Mick said obtaining grants for roads and water mains were high on the list. Additionally, they hoped to secure funding to buildout an emergency operations center in the southland, as Park Forest and surrounding communities look to merge SouthCom with E-Com to form a larger dispatch organization.
“We have 70 miles of roads in the Village, and funding is needed to maintain them,” Mick said. We only have so much revenue to resurface them. The same can be said for water mains, which is why we’ve submitted congressionally directed spending applications seeking $2.5 million to install new water mains.”
Since 2006, Park Forest’s officials have made the trek to Washington D.C., for lobbying efforts. Last year, they resumed going to the nation’s capital for the first time since the pandemic when they had to do the meetings remotely. Mick noted their 2023 lobbying efforts turned into $1.2 million, which included $750K for new water mains and $250K or more for body-worn cameras and other technology for the Park Forest Police Department. The remaining $500K went to the Park Forest Fire Department for overhauling its fire training site.
“I want residents to know that things don’t happen overnight,” Mick said. It’ll take time for us to see the fruits of our labor. We continue to take a wait-and-see approach and build on those relationships and connections made—which will bode well for Park Forest.”
Since 2019, Park Forest has obtained $17 million in grants. The Village has tackled various projects, including reconstructing Hemlock Road, overhauling Somonauk Park, and replacing every streetlight with LED lights.
“The Village is working for its residents,” Mick said. “It typically takes anywhere from six, nine, to 12 months for us to see the results of these meetings. But it happens, and the Village will continue these efforts for years to come.”