A coalition of mayors from communities along the Illinois River is working to protect the waterway and grow its economic opportunities.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali, a co-chair of the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative [IRCTI], assumed the role of host for the group’s first annual conference, held in conjunction with the three-day Corn Belt Ports Illinois River Partnership Summit.
“All of us are working together to enable IRCTI to amplify the voice of Illinois riverfront communities and support policies and initiatives that protect and preserve the economic and environmental sustainability of the Illinois River for present and future generations,” Ali said Thursday morning during a news conference outside the Gateway Building, with the Murray Baker Bridge over the river as a backdrop.
Modeled after similar initiatives centered around the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, the initiative closes a “missing link,” according to executive director Anshu Singh.
“Fresh water is going to be — and actually already is — a scarce commodity, and working alongside other freshwater communities organization is important for us,” said Singh. “So, by creating IRCTI now, we are unifying the whole voice [and] amplifying the regional voice to protect our water, fresh water resources for our future generations.”
Singh said the IRCTI has come a long way in a very short time since holding its first organizational meeting in February.
“Now on, we will be focusing more on operationalizing as a nationally and globally significant freshwater communities organization,” she said. “That’s our goal, and it’s it will take some time for us to sit together, brainstorm and set our priorities.”
Among the other member mayors joining Ali at the news conference were Mary Burress of Pekin and John Kahl of East Peoria, who announced the IRTCI has agreements in place with the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission and the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
“That provides IRCTI with the regional special district of government sponsor and a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, which gives us the authority to operate as a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a stronger, more vibrant region together,” said Kahl, one of the initiative’s co-vice chairs.
“This river touches every one of our communities and has a different meaning to all of us, but we share in a shared purpose,” he said.
Singh said the IRCTI’s collaboration with the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission is a vital key to the initiative’s success.
“In our case, our port is a 10-county region that’s 175 miles long,” she said. “It’s good for the port to work with a mayor-led organization, and together they can align their priorities and be more influential in terms of bringing more infrastructure investment, not only for the economic development, but also for the ecosystem management.”
Currently, the IRCTI has 15 mayors participating, a number it is hoping to grow to 18 in the near future. The group announced a series of memorandums of understanding and common purpose with the Illinois River Biological Station in Havana, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.
One of the IRCTI’s objectives will be to assist with workforce development and job training for those interested in a career on the Illinois River.
“In 2021, river-related and dependent industries supported nearly 262,000 jobs in Illinois,” said Ali. “We are committed to working with organizations like the Illinois River Biological Station, and We Work the Waterways to ensure that we have a trained and ready workforce on our rivers for many years to come.”
Ali summed up the ultimate goal of the inaugural IRCTI conference with a single word: “Collaboration.”
“That’s the name of the game, is working together efficiently, effectively, harmoniously to support our mission,” she said, “and that’s really to protect, preserve and make the best of our river experience.”
