Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig was inaugurated as the 2024-2025 Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC) President on Wednesday, June 26.
Craig is the organization’s 66th President and fourth from the Village of Hanover Park. Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson was installed as Vice-President, with Buffalo Grove Village President Eric Smith and Skokie Village Manager John Lockerby installed as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Their terms run through June, 2025.
The inauguration took place at the NWMC’s Annual Gala at the Renaissance Schaumburg. One hundred and sixty members and guests celebrated the accomplishments of outgoing NWMC President and Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly as well as the inauguration of President Craig.
Mayor Dailly thanked the membership and staff for their collective achievements over the past year, including advocacy for expanding local revenue authority, protection of Tax Increment Financing as a vital economic development tool and increasing utilization of the products and services offered through the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative. He also thanked “our legislators, budget leaders, Speaker Welch, President Harmon and Governor Pritzker for hearing our concerns and working with local governments.”
In his inaugural remarks to the membership, President Craig said “we look forward to working positively and collaboratively with legislators and legislative leaders on issues important to us all.”
He identified a number of initiatives for the year, including: creating a new strategic plan for the organization; leading the Pension Fairness for Illinois Communities Coalition to prevent erosion of public safety pension systems; working with the Invest in Communities Coalition to advocate for increased funding for local governments; and, engaging in discussions on the future of the region’s public transportation system.
Finally, he thanked and called on all members to become actively involved in the Conference’s committees and initiatives, noting that “the strength of this organization has been the commitment of time and resources of the membership and staff to get the job done. Thank you for the trust and confidence you have in me to lead the Northwest Municipal Conference and I look forward to working with all of you to achieve our mutual goals.”
The Northwest Municipal Conference is a membership-supported association of 42 municipalities and 1 township representing a population of over 1.2 million Illinois residents. Established in 1958, the Conference serves to strengthen local government and enhance intergovernmental cooperation in the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago.
###