Across the Chicago region, municipalities are taking steps to celebrate local diversity and advance equity and inclusion within their communities. These steps might include hosting events to celebrate local diversity; establishing a citizen commission to advise local actions related to equity and inclusion; reviewing and revising policies and procedures that reinforce inequities within municipal operations; or expanding social services to ensure that needs of the most vulnerable residents are being met.

There are many reasons why a local government would consider undertaking such initiatives, including*:

  • Improved decision-making that better represents all communities and is less likely to suffer from unintentional blind spots and biases
  • Increased community trust in local government by offering more options for community members to be seen and heard as well as to better understand local government initiatives
  • A more equitable allocation of public resources to all communities
  • Increased trust between community members by offering citizens more opportunities to interact with one another
  • Improved employee satisfaction, reducing staff turnover, and increasing employee engagement and awareness

*these benefits are cited by the Municipal Research and Services Center in Washington State.

Diversity Issues Task Force and Caucus Initiatives

To support municipal action towards these goals, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus convenes the Diversity Issues Task Force. Chaired by Mayor Rodney Craig of Hanover Park and Mayor William McLeod of Hoffman Estates, the Task Force offers local elected officials and municipal staff the opportunity to engage in productive discussions with their peers, share their successes, and learn from each other. Visit the Diversity Issues Task Force page for more information, including past meeting topics and contact information.

Under the direction of the Task Force, the Mayors Caucus leads initiatives to support local objectives in pursuit of a more equitable region. Our work involves collaboration with strategic partners to identify best practices for regional topics of concern, such as immigrant integration and census engagement. We additionally provide information to our members on state and national policy development and secure grant funds to administer programs that support task force objectives. Click on the links to the right for more information about resources, programs, and initiatives.