January 15, 2021
www.ssmma.org
A note from our Executive Director
Start of a new year, a stronger Southland.

Happy New Year! For most of us, 2021 could not get here any faster after the devastating times we all faced in 2020. The personal and economic impacts of COVID-19 have shattered families, businesses, and all of us in ways that have not even begun to be measured. But, we are resilient and 2021 affords us an opportunity to resolve for our Southland to be better, stronger, and more unified in working towards transformative equitable economic recovery. We’re in this together and the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association is here to support those efforts in any way we can.

Here’s my 2021 resolution: New year. New optimism. New stronger Southland. What’s yours?

Best,
SSMMA Executive Director
COVID-19 News from the Governor's Office
Gov. Pritzker Announces the Next Phase of COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan, Lowers Vaccine Age to 65

Building on guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Governor JB Pritzker announced guidelines for the next stage of COVID-19 vaccine distribution across Illinois – Phase 1B.

Phase 1B begins on January 25, 2021. It will include all Illinois residents age 65 years and older and frontline essential workers. In order to reduce COVID-19 mortality and limit community spread in Black and Brown communities, Illinois reduced the age eligibility in Phase 1B by 10 years from ACIP’s recommendation. Currently, the average age of COVID-19 death is 81 for White residents, 72 for Black residents, and 68 for Latino residents.


Gov. Pritzker signed Executive Order 2021-01 on January 8, 2021 reissuing most 2020 Executive Orders relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Regions 7 and 10 remain under Tier 3 mitigations.
News from SSMMA
  • Be sure to visit the SSMMA COVID-19 Tracking Dashboard to view coronavirus data and statistics for your community. The dashboard is updated daily with information from IDPH and other public sources and can be found at www.ssmmacovid.org.
  • A brief tutorial on how to use the latest dashboard feature, SSMMA's demographic analyses by community, is available here.
  • If you'd like more information on the dashboard, or a one-on-one walk-through of its features and how to use them, please contact Kai Funahashi at kai.funahashi@ssmma.org.

  • Interested in becoming an Associate Member of SSMMA?
  • Read a letter from our Association President, Mayor Tyrone Ward, and Executive Director, Kristi DeLaurentiis, outlining the benefits of membership here. Ready to join? Fill out the application.
Upcoming Events
SSMMA's 2021 meeting calendar is now available, click here to view.

  • Little Calumet River Watershed Planning Council Meeting - Thursday, January 21 at 4:30pm
  • MEETING LINK
News from our community partners
  • Southland Development Authority (SDA) is continuing to assist small businesses across the South Suburbs during the COVID-19 pandemic. SDA will soon begin providing PPP assistance to hundreds of Southland businesses; contact Liz Castaneda at liz.castaneda@southlanddevelopment.org for more information.

  • SDA has slots available for South Suburban entrepreneurs to access online courses through The Lonely Entrepreneur Learning Community. These courses are normally $100/month but are available for free to the first 100 registrants from the Southland. Learn more.

  • Applications are now open for the 2021 Exelon Foundation STEM Leadership Academy! The summer 2021 Exelon STEM Leadership Academy is a free, week-long, residential program for 10th and 11th-grade girls interested in STEM to learn from women working in STEM and other leaders. Learn more.

  • MWRD is seeking project applications from local government organizations to address flooding and drainage problems through their voluntary Flood-Prone Property Acquisition Program and Local Stormwater Partnership Program. An optional training webinar to discuss the application process is set for Friday, January 22, 2021 at 2pm. Learn more.

  • United Way of Metro Chicago is hosting A Day of Racial Healing and Service, a virtual event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to creating a fair and just society. Two sessions will be held on Monday, January 18, 2021 beginning at 8:30am. Learn more.

  • Applications are now open for the Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability's Solar Schools Grant through February 23, 2021. This program awards funds to public schools in Chicago and suburban Cook County to teach students how sunlight is converted to energy. Learn more.

  • CMAP is accepting funding applications for surface transportation projects from January 8, 2021 through March 5, 2021. Projects may address safety, transit, bicycle, or pedestrian improvements, as well as traffic and freight movement, bridge and road reconstruction, and vehicles and equipment that use alternative fuel sources. Visit cmap.is/2021callforprojects for more information, including links to register for the second informational webinar Friday, January 15, 2021, at 10am.

  • Applications are now open for The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)'s 2021 Transportation Justice Fellowship. NACTO seeks mobility practitioners who identify as people of color to take part in a project-based fellowship program for mid-career professionals in the US. Learn more.

  • The Suburban Purchasing Cooperative (SPC) has been advised that General Motors' cut-off date for ordering the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Patrol Vehicle (Contract #185) is Sunday, March 21, 2021. For questions or additional information, please contact Tom Sullivan at Currie Motors, 815-412-3227 or tsullivan@curriemotors.com.
Have something you'd like included in our next newsletter? Email it to news@ssmma.org.