Debra Shore, a two-term member of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago ( MWRD ) today announced her intention to run for re-election in the 2018 elections.
In announcing her intention to run again, Commissioner Shore said "March 22 is World Water Day, a fitting time to announce that I intend to run for another term on the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago ( MWRD ). The primary election is on March 20, 2018 and I am embarking on my re-election campaign. Will you row on with me?
"Why am I running? Because water matters.
"Perhaps that sounds simplistic, I realize, but since I took office in late 2006, residents of Cook County have experienced devastating flooding in some places, widespread basement backups, and two of the wettest years on record ( 2008 and 2011 ). People in Flint, Michigan have been afflicted with lead in their drinking water resulting from undemocratic government and criminal decisions. Droughts have seared the West; Lake Michigan reached an all-time low in early 2013. Climate change is causing more intense rain events that are more localized and less predictable, overwhelming the capacity of municipal sewer systems to function properly.
"I've had a hand in several initiatives that have dramatically improved water quality in the Chicago Area Waterways — supporting disinfection of treated water at the Calumet and O'Brien wastewater treatment plants, for example, and the removal of nutrients from water discharged into the waterways — but more work remains to be done and I still have an appetite to do it. The people of Cook County deserve committed leaders on the MWRD Board who advocate for environmental protection and economic growth.
"That's why I'm running for another term."
Commissioner Shore lives in Skokie with her wife Kathleen Gillespie.