Mayor Of Harrisburg, Illinois
Former Mayor Of Harrisburg, Illinois
Harrisburg, Illinois
I developed a strategic plan for the rebuilding and future of Harrisburg after the devastating 2012 F4 Leap Day Tornado that claimed 8 of our precious lives, injured hundreds and caused millions of dollars in damages. As a result of being surrounded by a great team locally, statewide and on a national level, Harrisburg, Illinois, was brought back. As Mayor of Harrisburg, I felt responsible for each and every citizen and still feel an obligation to our community today. Economic development… Show more I developed a strategic plan for the rebuilding and future of Harrisburg after the devastating 2012 F4 Leap Day Tornado that claimed 8 of our precious lives, injured hundreds and caused millions of dollars in damages. As a result of being surrounded by a great team locally, statewide and on a national level, Harrisburg, Illinois, was brought back. As Mayor of Harrisburg, I felt responsible for each and every citizen and still feel an obligation to our community today. Economic development and infrastructure improvements was my primary focus during my time in office. As mayor, I helped secure over 12 million dollars in special funding by working with local, state and federal agencies in the aftermath of the 2012 Leap Day Tornado. During my time as mayor I also negotiated and helped bring in approximately 30 million dollars in new business development. I worked with the Man-Tra-Con Agency to implement a federal program to clean out waterways and other infrastructure issues concerning Harrisburg, Illinois. The program utilized displaced workers and was a huge success in dealing with flooding issues that had plagued our city for over 100 years. I designed and helped implement a Tax Increment Finance District in our city encompassing most of the downtown region that was in need of revitalization. The program enticed business development and expansion. The TIF District is a huge success with our downtown seeing new restaurants, a state of the art gun range and workout facility. I also started the process of upgrading our Water and Sewer Department in order to have more automation and accountability. This program has saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. I have a vision for Harrisburg that is still being followed through with today. Show less