The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the elected officials, associate members, partners, and friends who attended SSMMA's Jingle & Mingle Dinner on Thursday, December 7. We couldn’t be happier to kick off the 2023 holiday season with all of you!

Special thanks to Mayor Jada D. Curry and the Village of Lynwood for hosting this year's event. It was a great evening of fellowship for us and around 200 attendees who enjoyed a wonderful dinner and were entertained by members of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra throughout the evening with their sounds of the season.

We want to express our sincere appreciation to all our event sponsors: Comcast, ComEd, Nicor Gas, Governors State University Foundation, Robinson Engineering, Calumet City Plumbing, AT&T, Christopher Burke Engineering, The Horton Group, and Restore Construction. Thank you!

And, thanks to all who attended and made our event successful. Find additional photos from the event here.

In a move to increase SSMMA's capacity to advance environmental justice initiatives in the Southland, we have recently hired City of Harvey-native, David Clay II, as our Environmental Justice Policy and Government Affairs Specialist.

David comes to us with several years of academic training in public policy studies from Vanderbilt University and the University of Chicago. David received his Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Vanderbilt and was recently conferred his Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. Additionally, David has worked for the City of Harvey as their Deputy Chief of Staff and Community Outreach and Special Events Coordinator, where he focused on a wide breadth of municipal projects, programs, and issues. David has also worked for the Evanston-based nonprofit, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, as their Writing Associate. In that role, he focused on broadband policy developments at the local, state, and federal levels.

"In having such a deep connection to the Chicago Southland, I have always felt obligated and driven to play my part in advancing the development of the region to heights reminiscent of bygone days,” stated David. “In my newfound position with the SSMMA, I am eager to progress an agenda of environmental justice through smart policy while working in tandem with elected officials and dignitaries to promote a shared prosperity throughout the South Suburbs.”

Please welcome David to the SSMMA team! He can be reached at David.clay@ssmma.org or (708) 922-4682.

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