Cities Initiative Delegation Attends Great Lakes Days in Washington D.C.
The Cities Initiative and its members participated in force at the 2017 Great Lakes Days in Washington D.C., March 14-16, 2017. This annual event is an opportunity for the Great Lakes region to inform federal government representatives and agency heads of the region's priorities. Cities Initiative members in attendance this year included Mayor John Dickert of Racine, WI and Mayor Chantal Rouleau of Montreal, QC. Cities Initiative staff – David Ullrich, Nicola Crawhall and Simon Belisle – participated as well.
The Cities Initiative delegation met with:
- Minister Catherine McKenna (left)
- Senator Tammy Baldwin (above)
- Congressman Dan Kildee
- Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
- Congressman Paul Ryan staffer
- Congressman Brian Higgins staffer
- Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky staffer
- Congresswoman Robin Kelly staffer
Priorities that the group emphasized in their meetings included: funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; the need to act on aquatic invasive species, especially Asian carp in the Chicago Area Waterway System; taking action to reduce nutrients entering our lakes and waterways; the growing water infrastructure investment gap in the region; and increased Great Lakes-St. Lawrence collaboration between the U.S. and Canada.
