Why I’m Running for Re-election

I ran for commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) because water matters. The District, with its mission to protect the drinking water supply for five million residents of Cook County (by treating sewage and keeping it out of Lake Michigan), has enormous impact on our quality of life. Through its policies and practices for stormwater management, the District affects flooding, beach closings, and the health of our streams and rivers. As owner of more than 7,000 acres of land, the District protects vital habitat, including several dedicated Illinois nature preserves.

I first ran for commissioner in 2006 because I wanted to help the District become a leader in education about water as a precious resource. I wanted to see the District promote innovative policies for water conservation ­ and demonstrate best practices at its facilities and on its lands for water conservation.

I am pleased to report that my efforts – joined by my colleagues – have resulted in some significant achievements in the last five years, including:

• Voting to support disinfection of the wastewater discharged into the Chicago waterways at two large treatment plants to improve water quality and recreational use
• Appointing in June 2011 the first executive director in 50 years to come from outside the ranks of District employees
• Opening up the District’s federal lobbying contract to a competitive RFQ process (after 35 years of contract renewals with the same firm)
• Providing health care benefits for same sex and opposite sex domestic partners of District employees
• Conducting rigorous tests of three different permeable surfaces in the parking lot at the Stickney treatment plant to monitor performance, providing essential data on this green infrastructure approach in our climate
• Promoting a green procurement policy at the District, including purchase of electric vehicles
• Working to draft and pass a strong stormwater ordinance to reduce flooding and improve water quality in rivers and streams.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is a vitally important — and largely overlooked — public agency. With an annual budget of more than $1 billion and as owner of more than 7,000 acres in the region, it deserves scrutiny. Its responsibility to treat wastewater and to manage stormwater for the five million residents and many industries in Cook County makes it an essential contributor to our quality of life.

Yet few people know what the agency does and it has virtually no benchmarks with which to measure performance. I intend to bring environmental accountability and leadership into the MWRD. I believe we cannot be merely users and abusers of natural resources but must become caring stewards.

I’m running for re-election because big challenges remain and I still have an appetite to take them on. My goal is to provide strong leadership – asking questions, pushing for accountability, transparency, and fiscal responsibility – and helping to make the MWRD a model of resource recovery and stewardship for the 21st century.