Mayor Paul Braun reflects on nearly two decades of elected service to Flossmoor
When it comes to timing, Flossmoor Mayor Paul Braun could have hoped for better. His tenure at the helm was bookended by crises.
“I started being mayor in the middle of a recession,” he said. “I’m ending it in a pandemic year. What does that say about my luck?”
But from 2009 to 2021, Braun said he left nothing on the table in terms of what he hoped to get done for Flossmoor as village president. In what was likely to be his last interview as mayor, Braun said he was prepared to leave office Monday, May 3, with his head, held high about what he accomplished from bell to bell.
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He also thinks Flossmoor has a stronger regional presence than it did in the past, in part because of his involvement with the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association. He is proud of the village’s financial stability, its bond rating, and the good morale among village staff. He is happy with the police, fire, and public works departments, as well as developments including Meijer, Starbucks, Buona Beef, CVS, AT&T, and Children of America.
“The leadership is terrific here,” Braun said. “We’ve done pretty good on economic development, all things considered for a little village of our size.”
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SAVE THE DATE:
Newly Elected Officials Workshop
Our workshop is an education program that provides information in a highly interactive format allowing ample opportunity for mayors/presidents, trustees/alderman and others to exchange ideas and explore topics vital to serving as an elected official. Register here.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
SSMMA Business Meeting - Thursday, May 20 at 6pm
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Metra Electric line to add express weekend service, offer reverse-commute trains as Amazon fulfillment center opens in University Park |
Metra is boosting service on its Metra Electric District line as riders begin to return and Amazon prepares to open a facility in University Park with hundreds of employees.
Beginning May 10, four trains will be added to the weekday schedule and four trains to the weekend schedule. They will include express trains on weekends and a reverse-commute option intended for employees of the Amazon fulfillment center, Metra said in a statement.
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The expanded weekday schedule will include an early morning outbound train from Millennium Station to University Park, and an evening inbound train between the two stations.
A new weekday morning inbound train will run from Homewood to Millennium Station. A new night outbound train will run from 63 Street to Blue Island, and passengers who ride an existing night train will need to switch to the new train for access to stations between 75th Street and Blue Island.
On weekends, Metra is adding service between University Park and Millennium Station.
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The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will celebrate Economic Development Week May 9th – 15th. Led by the Offices of Minority Economic Empowerment (OMEE) and Regional Economic Development (RED) and Intersect Illinois, DCEO will celebrate Economic Development successes throughout the state, highlighting projects and Economic Development partners and hosting a series of webinars to learn more about best practices for success.
Learn more and register for the webinars at the links below:
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SSMMA to Co-host COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic with Governors State and Walgreens |
Governors State University and South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association are partnering with Walgreens to host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the university on Saturday, May 15, 2021, from 8 am to 4 pm.
The Johnson & Johnson, one-shot vaccine will be administered. Adults 18 and older are eligible.
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SBA COVID-19 Resources
Local Resources
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Cook and Will County residents can utilize the new COVID-19 Pandemic Health Navigator Program to access information on food assistance, rental or mortgage assistance, utility assistance, educational resources, or vaccine or testing appointments. Learn more.
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The State of Illinois and Cook County are continuing to develop new COVID-19 rental assistance programs. Illinois residents who meet the eligibility requirements can apply for the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Program. Learn more.
Data Dashboard
The SSMMA COVID-19 Tracking Dashboard provides the latest information on reopening guidelines, vaccination plans, COVID-19 testing, and in-depth metrics and data for Cook and Will County.
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Vaccine Information
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South Suburban College is now offering walk-in vaccinations. No residency or appointment required. Learn more.
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All Illinois residents 16 years or older can register for the vaccine under Phase 2 eligibility. Register here.
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News from our Community Partners |
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Local municipalities are encouraged to inform residents about the importance of the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) throughout the south suburbs in their community newsletters and social media pages. Contact SSMMA Executive Director Kristi DeLaurentiis at 708-922-4670, or kdelaurentiis@ssmma.org, with any questions.
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The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways invites you to participate in a public meeting on May 13th at 6:00pm to discuss proposed designs for Burnham Multimodal Center. Learn more.
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The Chicagoland Regional College Program (CRCP) is offering a monthly stipend and paid tuition fees for college students who can work part-time at UPS and enroll in local colleges throughout the south suburbs. Learn more.
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UPS is offering up to $27.00 per hour and sign-on bonuses for warehouse workers at the Hodgkins, Illinois location. Learn more.
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The University of Illinois will host a webinar on Creating Age-Friendly Communities on May 12th at 12:00 pm. The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the AARP, has developed a set of guidelines and resources for communities who wish to seek “Age-Friendly” status. This webinar involves organizing community stakeholders to evaluate, plan, and implement strategies to improve the lives of older adults in their community. Register here.
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Registration is now open for South Suburban Housing Center's May Virtual Homebuyer Education Course. The course begins with session one at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, and ends at the conclusion of session two Saturday, May 22. Register here.
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Have something you'd like included in our next newsletter? Email it to news@ssmma.org.
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