Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering | Photo courtesy of the City of Highland Park
Chicago (December 6, 2024) – The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus recently announced that Nancy Rotering, Mayor of the City of Highland Park, was unanimously elected as their next Chair. The Mayors Caucus is a regional collaborative that encompasses 275 cities, towns and villages in the northeastern Illinois region.
Rotering, who brings a wealth of knowledge to the position, previously served as the 2nd Vice Chair of the organization and before that Secretary.
“Mayor Rotering will be a wonderful asset for the Mayors Caucus,” said Neil James, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. “She has extensive local government experience, a passion for the work, and a strong network of relationships throughout our region and the state as well as an impactful voice on the national and international stage.”
“The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is a great cooperative effort among Chicago area municipalities,” Rotering said. “And, while each of the member towns has its own priorities to address, we come together as a group to focus on matters that affect the entire area from a regional perspective,” she said.
Founded in 1997, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus pushes past geographical boundaries and local interests to work on public policy issues affecting the entire northeastern Illinois region. This forum is key in improving the quality of life for the over nine million people who call the northeastern Illinois region home.
Nancy Rotering is in her fourth term as Mayor of Highland Park. In 2021, she served as President of the Northwest Municipal Conference and has been a Board member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning since 2019. Recognizing the critical importance of a regional response to diverse issues such as public transit, flood mitigation, sustainability, housing, and reducing unfunded state mandates, as Mayor, Rotering has frequently advanced opportunities for municipalities to collaborate. Rotering teaches Social Policy at Northwestern University, serves on the International Steering Committee for Strong Cities Network, and founded the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic in 2015. An attorney for more than 30 years, Rotering is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, has an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and a BA from Stanford University in Economics.
Joining Mayor Rotering as 2025 Officers are: Mayor Brandon Johnson, City of Chicago, 1st Vice Chair; Mayor John Noak, Village of Romeoville, 2nd Vice Chair; Mayor Jeff Sherwin, City of Northlake, Treasurer; and Mayor Donald “Donny” Schmit, Village of Fox Lake, Secretary.
The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus brings together Mayors and Village and Town Presidents of the Chicago region to work on issues of regional significance through the City of Chicago, DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, Lake County Municipal League, McHenry County Council of Governments, Metro West Council of Governments, Northwest Municipal Conference, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, Southwest Conference of Mayors, West Central Municipal Conference and Will County Governmental League. Combined they represent 275 municipalities and a population of over nine million residents.
