MAYOR EMANUEL LAUNCHES ONLINE PORTAL TO SOLICIT PUBLIC INPUT ON SECOND TERM AGENDA
Second Term Priorities Committee to Review Resident and Community Input in Developing Recommendations on Key Issues for Mayor’s Agenda
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that the City will solicit ideas from residents on the three key priorities under review by his Second Term Priorities Committee. The Second Term Priorities Committee will focus on critical issue areas that require strategic planning and input, including neighborhood economic development, moving towards universal pre-k, and expanding public engagement. The City will provide opportunities for public input through a series of citywide community meetings and its online community forum, CHIdeas. Residents can access the site HERE.
“The decisions we make over the next four years will determine what Chicago looks like over the next 40 years, and engaging Chicago’s residents is critical to developing my agenda,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The challenges facing Chicago are not insignificant, and we must work together to continue to make our schools stronger, our streets safer, and tackle the issues that are impacting our city. We all have a stake in our city’s future and must work together to ensure that Chicago’s future is as bright as its past.”
The Second Term Priorities Committee will review ideas submitted to the CHIdeas forum and conduct stakeholder meetings across Chicago to seek input. An overview of the three key issue areas is below:
- Neighborhood economic development. Over the past four years, Mayor Emanuel has focused on bringing economic growth to neighborhoods by investing to create jobs, modernize our infrastructure, expand green space, increase affordable housing options, and support small business growth. The Second Term Priorities Committee will make recommendations on strengthening the City’s agenda for economic growth in neighborhoods across the city.
- Moving towards universal pre-k. Since taking office, Mayor Emanuel has made major investments in expanding the quality of and access to pre-k across the city. Over the next four years, the Mayor will expand full-day pre-k to even more children in need.
- Expanding public engagement. Over the last several months, thousands of residents made clear their desire for more community engagement from the administration. While we have made great strides in the past year, the Second Term Priorities Committee has an opportunity to take a fresh look at how City Hall consults residents in developing and implementing policies and programs.
“Public engagement is a cornerstone to both a successful transition and administration. We are having thoughtful conversations around the key issues in education, public engagement and citywide economic opportunity and expect to continue those as we receive additional public input,” said Transition Chair Sarah Pang, a Senior Vice President at CAN Insurance. “Mayor Emanuel has made great strides in his first term, and in the second term will serve to keep moving Chicago forward, and ongoing community engagement is critical to ongoing progress.”
Announced by Mayor Emanuel on April 14, 2015, the Second Term Priorities Committee will capture the best ideas and strategies received during its public engagement process and deliver a final report in the weeks ahead.
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