The Northern Illinois Commercial Association of REALTORS (NICAR) will provide a closer look at the issues and challenges facing the State of Illinois when it hosts the Commercial Forum for a Better Illinois. The event will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 11th at the Rosewood Restaurant in Rosemont, IL.
The event, which is open to all commercial real estate professionals, will feature a panel discussion including four members of the Illinois General Assembly.
“It is a critical time for the people of Illinois, for businesses and commercial real estate professionals,” said William Caton, NICAR’s President and the CEO of Caton Commercial Real Estate Group. “Given the many issues facing our State and our clients, it was only appropriate to convene a meeting with key members of our government to better understand the issues and the potential way in which these issues will be addressed.”
Among the political officials scheduled to appear at the event include, • Senator Pamela J. Althoff (R), 32nd District (McHenry). Althoff is a member of various Senate committees, including Appropriations II; Labor and Commerce; Licensed Activities and Pensions; Revenue; Transportation; Committee of the Whole; Subcommittee on Property Tax; and Subcommittee on Tax Credits. • Senator Toi W. Hutchinson (D), 40th District (Chicago Heights). A member of the Senate since 2009, Hutchinson serves on a variety of committees such as Labor and Commerce • Representative David Harris (R), 53rd District (Mt. Prospect). Harris, in his second tenure as a member of the House, serves on various committees, including, Appropriations-General Service; Mass Transit; Revenue & Finance; Income Tax Subcommittee; Property Tax Subcommittee; Sales and Other Taxes Subcommittee; • Representative Sam Yingling (D), 62nd District (Hainsville). Yingling sits on various committees, including Appropriations-General Service; Economic Development; State Government Administration; Transportation, Regulation, Roads; Tollway Oversight.
A critical component of the program, according to Caton, will feature questions and topics that are the result of a NICAR survey completed in early Summer. The survey sought the opinions of members of the commercial real estate industry on matters that included rating the importance of 10 issues facing the State, a ranking of the top three issues, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of all branches of Illinois government.
The results of the survey will be released later this month, in advance of the September 11th meeting.
On-site registration for the event will begin at 3:30 pm. The program, which will also feature a question and answer period, will begin promptly at 4 pm. Following the Forum, there will be a cocktail and networking reception, which will allow members of the commercial real estate community to interact more personally with the State Senator and Representatives.
