In the News

PEORIA (25News Now) - Fifteen Illinois mayors have banded together based on their proximity to the Illinois River.

Those fifteen, including Peoria Mayor Rita Ali and East Peoria Mayor John Kahl, form the first Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative and advocate for their homes along the river.

In the group’s first meeting today in Peoria at the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission, members outlined their plans to increase development, sustain the economy, and protect the environment along the waterway.

Co-chair and Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty said the group’s initial priorities are to increase tourism, allow for better freight on the river, and tackle environmental issues, like invasive Asian carp.

“We know that the more numbers you have, the better you’re heard,” Hasty said. “We’re planning to work together to make sure the Illinois Riverway is being properly represented.”

He said other environmental initiatives the group would like to see are wetland preservation efforts and reducing microplastics.

“People think that the plastic is just the water bottle that’s floating on the river, but it’s worse than that. It’s when you have that beginning decomposition of that plastic,” Hasty said. “The microplastics get into the soil, which washes into the water. That poisons wildlife, that poisons people.”

Hasty said the group is based on other successful, mayor-led organizations, like the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. He said those groups have successfully brought attention to their regions’ needs and secured project funding.

“Every little bit that you do to improve and change helps the overall morale of the town, and that helps make people feel more encouraged,“ Hasty said. ”It allows for them to start thinking optimistically about other changes that can happen within your community.”

IRCTI’s next meeting is May 2.