The Chicago Bears executive team met with the IRTBA Board of Directors this week to roll out their planned redevelopment of the former Arlington Park site. Members addressed infrastructure issues surrounding the redevelopment, and IRTBA President Mike Sturino presented an overview of transportation infrastructure approaches.  Stay tuned for updates on this potentially game changing development in the Northwest suburbs!

The 2022 midterm elections on November 8 are likely to shift the power balance in Washington after two years of Democratic control of Congress and the White House. The House is favored to change hands, while several close races in the Senate could end two years of a 50-50 tie. The ARTBA Election Preview offers a high-level overview of the state of play in the House, Senate and in gubernatorial races. In addition, registration for ARTBA’s November 10 post-election webinar is now open. The webinar will feature expert takes on the election results, and what it means for the transportation construction industry.

Polls indicate that Republican challengers are posing a threat to unseating three Democrat incumbents in US Congressional races in the Chicago region. The three newly redrawn districts pose challenges for the incumbents because the new districts contain many voters who aren’t familiar with them, and due to the growing strength of Republicans nationally in their bid to take over the majority in the US House and Senate. The incumbent Democrats, however, enjoy the lead in fundraising. Read additional coverage in the Sun Times.

In the 11^th Congressional District, Rep. Bill Foster is facing a strong challenger - Republican Catalina Lauf. The old district covered many suburbs to the west and southwest; the new map now stretches north and west and covers parts of all of the collar counties. Foster, a former business owner and a physicist Fermilab, was elected to Congress in 2012. Foster, 67 was first elected in the 14th District in 2008, but lost in 2010. He was elected to the 11th District in 2012 and has been reelected since then.

Catalina Lauf, 29, hails from Woodstock, Illinois, and is the daughter of an immigrant from Latin America and an Illinois-raised small businessman. She was a presidential-appointed Special Advisor on Minority Business Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and is currently a Business Advisor to a children’s healthcare startup. Recent polls show her catching up and even leading the incumbent.

In the 14^th District, incumbent Rep. Lauren Underwood is fighting off a challenge from Republican Scott Gryder.  The district was redrawn to make it more favorable to Underwood, and now includes Joliet and also runs west into rural areas around Ottawa, and north to DeKalb. Polling, however, shows Gryder is running even with the incumbent. Congresswoman Underwood, whose background is in healthcare administration, was first elected in 2018, a wave year for Democrats. She was narrowly reelected in 2020.  

Scott Gryder was elected three times to Kendall County Board, and is currently serves as the County Board Chairman. Gryder is President of Commercial Services and Senior Counsel at Near North Title Group, Scott is licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois, the US Northern District of Illinois, and is a member of Federalist Society.

Incumbent Sean Casten is facing Republican Keith Pekau in the Illinois 6^th Congressional District.  Casten ousted Congresswoman Marie Newman in the primary; they were forced to run against each other due to the newly redrawn district maps. The new IL-06 includes parts of suburban Cook and DuPage, and extends from Tinley Park to Lombard, but only 41 percent of the Casten’s former district.  Casten, a businessman, is running for a third term on a platform focused on green energy and reproductive choice.  

Keith Pekau is focusing his campaign on economic issues and public safety in his bid to oust the incumbent. The race is currently considered a toss-up, as Rep. Casten saw his lead narrow considerably since the primary.

The Federal Highway Administration announced the selection of David L. Snyder as the Illinois Division Administrator. Snyder has served as the Illinois Deputy Division Administrator since 2019. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Engineering and Operations in the Ohio Division.

Dave began his FHWA career in 1994 as a Civil Engineer in the Highway Engineer Training Program, then he served as an Area Engineer and Safety Engineer in the North Carolina Division. In 2002 Dave began serving as the Environmental Program Manager in the Ohio Division where he was instrumental in implementing the nation’s first statewide programmatic consultation for highway projects under the Endangered Species Act. Dave holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Penn State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina.

Add diesel fuel to the list of materials and commodities that are in short supply. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, diesel and other distillate fuel oils stocks were 106 million barrels on Oct. 21, the lowest for this time of year since the EIA started collecting weekly data in 1982. Inventories were 26 million barrels below the seasonal average for the previous ten years. This has generated a significant price spike in the price of diesel. Retail diesel prices are now $1.45 per gallon higher than for gasoline, up from a 24 cents per gallon spread this time a year ago. Read more in Reuters and see the EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report.

MARBA is reminding members that the Laborers' collective bargaining agreement addresses time off for workers on election day. Please review the MARBA Memorandum for details.  

Join over 1,200 of your closest industry friends for the IRTBA 85th Annual Meeting & Holiday Party on Thursday, December 8, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont. At the prestigious Annual Awards Ceremony, top transportation agencies will recognize the most outstanding projects completed in the past year. Then, the fun gets going as members reconnect with friends, colleagues and top brass at the networking reception. A delicious dinner follows to celebrate the holidays together. Tickets will sell out fast, so don't wait - register now!

The Annual Meeting & Holiday Party is a great way to enhance your company’s visibility and capture the attention of over 1,200 valuable customers and industry professionals! Download the Sponsor Form and contact IRTBA Event Planner, Fallon Dickson with any questions at (815) 790-0633 or events@irtba.org.

Please join IRTBA Chair Julie Wrightsman and IRTBA President/CEO Mike Sturino who will present the 3rd Annual State of the Association at Road Builder University on Monday, November 14 at 10:30 AM. This webinar is FREE, but pre-registration is required.

Register now for the IRTBA 38th Annual Convention at the Fairmont Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico, February 10-16, 2023. Registered attendees will enjoy sun and fun, build relationships and gain industry insight in ways that only the IRTBA convention offers. Visit the website for lots more details. See who is attending as of October 27.

Nov. 1, 9:30-10:30, Equal Opportunity (note: date change)

Nov. 4, 10:00-11:00, Membership

Nov. 10, 2:30-3:30, DuPage County Co-op

Nov. 11, 8:00-9:00, P&D Board (note: date change; location to be confirmed)

Nov. 14, 8:00-9:30, Government Affairs

Nov 18, 1:30-2:00, Design Construction Review

Dec. 1, 8:00-9:00, Training and Education

Dec. 7, 7:00-9:00, IRTBA Board of Directors

Dec. 12, 1:30-2:30, Tollway Co-op

Dec. 15, 10:00-11:00, Construction & Work Zone Safety

Meetings are held at the IRTBA office, 500 Park Blvd., Suite 1250, Itasca, IL unless noted otherwise - please watch your committee emails and contact Avani Shah with questions.

IRTBA's Vehicle Purchasing Program with Enterprise Fleet Management saved IRTBA member firms hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2019! As one of the largest vehicle purchasers in the country, Enterprise has developed an extensive network of relationships with all the major manufacturers to help IRTBA members acquire fleet vehicles in the most cost effective and efficient manner. Learn more information about this exciting partnership, gain insights from member testimonials, and let us help you find vehicle savings you can put back into your business! Please contact Jason Szabo at (630) 534-7717 or Jason.C.Szabo@efleets.com.

Members, did you miss a meeting or webinar from either the current or last year? Log in to your IRTBA account to access Road Builder University on-demand here or view General Membership Meeting slides here.

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