Lisa Gregory announces candidacy for re-election to the Decatur City Council.  

 

 

 

 

Lisa Gregory announces candidacy for re-election to the Decatur City Council.  

“It has been both on honor and a significant responsibility to serve Decatur citizens.  I believe my values and priorities align well with many of our citizens and like them, I want to live in a community that is safe, efficiently run, and provides fair, sustainable economic opportunities for everyone.  The decisions I have made have been guided by my believe that government activities should be transparent to the public, and there should be a never-ending pursuit of value for the public’s money.  

“As a councilwoman I have supported a wide array of issues that include infrastructure improvements as well as human capital investment in the lives of our citizens.

• Rehabilitation of four of the five critical sanitary sewer systems and this past July supported the preliminary engineering services for completion of the fifth and final system.  
• Upgrades to the City’s water treatment plant ensuring citizens have access to clean quality water.
• Increased water supply through lake dredging and efforts to ensure wellfields and pumps are ready if needed, all of which support local industry needs as well.
• Championed the City’s fiber optic network connecting multiple government agencies, DPS 61, and Millikin University, as well as others.  This network saves money for those connected but is used to spark economic development and regional growth. 
• Consistently increased the number of house demolitions over the last 4 years.
• Allocated $6 M in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for home rehabilitation projects.
• Sought innovative ways to engage citizens in neighborhood revitalization for example, the City’s pilot “Great Streets, Great Neighborhoods” initiative, designed to empower neighborhoods along the Jasper Street corridor to consider their full potential for creating a thriving neighborhood.
• A partnership between the Decatur Police Department and the Child 1^st Center for implementation of the Macon County HEALS program.  HEALS connects violent crime trauma impacted people to the services they need to deal with their experiences in a healthy way.
• Allocated $50,000 in ARP funding to provide Decatur youth, ages 12 – 18, with Pacific Institute training towards the goal of improving their cognitive behavioral knowledge and critical thinking skills.  

“The decision to seek re-election did not come easily.  While I have been grateful for the sound advice and positive support I have received over the last several months, what drives my desire to seek re-election is the ability to work with citizens to address their community concerns while making Decatur a great place to work and play.  This is truly the most rewarding aspect of my Council work.  I hope that my past efforts and decisions will once again justify the citizens’ trust in me on election day, April 4, 2023.”

BACKGROUND FROM COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY’S CAMPAIGN

Lisa Gregory is an experienced and proven leader with over twenty-five years of demonstrated professional experience across several areas including: higher education; health care; finance; federal, state, and municipal government.  Her functional areas of experience include public relations, government affairs, strategic planning, project management, and communications.

Lisa’s notable professional achievements include: passage of legislation that created ICash, a program that returns unclaimed assets to the original owner or their heirs; Bright Start, a 529 College Savings Plan; and the Illinois Community Health Center Act.  She has secured over $12 million in federal and state funding for federally qualified health centers (such as Crossing Healthcare) and over $5 million for higher education.

As a councilwoman Lisa has supported completion of millions in local infrastructure needs.  This includes: sanitary and storm water sewer upgrades; community street improvements; fire station safety upgrades and new construction; and support of the Northeast Connector and the Decatur Beltway Project.  She fought for the City’s fiber optic network that connects multiple government agencies, Decatur Public Schools, and Millikin University, to name a few.  She understood the necessity of creating the Central Illinois Regional Dispatch Center and the need to undertake a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization process.

Lisa understands that tough decisions, strategic investments, and hard work to maintain a balanced budget have provided the foundation for tangible improvements and growth in her hometown – Decatur.