Every day, countless people serve communities across our region. Many of these individuals are public-facing like police, fire or streets and sanitation. And many others work behind the scenes planning, analyzing, engineering, budgeting, visioning, shaping and solving issues to improve our communities and peoples' lives.

In early May, Public Service Recognition Week recognizes these individuals' service. At the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), we celebrated our outstanding teams and individuals in the categories of:

• Good Government: Ethan Jantz and the Avondale Neighborhood Plan Team

• ON TO 2050 Advancement: Austen Edwards, Elizabeth Ginsberg, and Tony Manno

• CMAP Core Values: Tricia Hyland and Alonzo Zamarrón

• Difference Maker: Vickie Barrett and David Clark

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to those who serve at all levels of government — federal, state, regional, county, and local. You make our region and communities thrive!

In addition to spotlighting our team, we also have been out in the region recognizing initiatives and people who exemplify excellence by improving northeastern Illinois’ quality of life. Meet this year's Regional Excellence Award winners and watch videos to learn more about these achievements.

In other CMAP happenings this spring, we look forward to our Board and committees returning to in-person meetings with the recent lifting of the state COVID-19 disaster declaration. Check out our meetings calendar.

The CMAP Team is also assisting and lending our expertise to Chicago’s new mayor. I am serving on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Transportation Subcommittee along with other transportation leaders in the region.

Finally, over the last few months and in the upcoming weeks, the CMAP team is intently focused on development of the Plan of Action for Regional Transit (PART). This includes engaging and collecting input from many stakeholder groups, including the PART Steering Committee, working groups, public focus groups, government partners, and more. CMAP is charged with submitting a plan to the governor and Illinois General Assembly at the beginning of next year with recommendations around reforms related to transit service, financing, and governance. The report will need to be approved by the CMAP Board and the MPO Policy Committee in October before being submitted to the Legislature.

You can watch the recent PART updates to the CMAP Board from their April and May meetings.

I hope you have the opportunity to discover and enjoy all our region has to offer this spring and summer — our great lake, and 284 cities and villages across seven counties. I also encourage you to use transit when and if you can; visit our partner’s website for maps, transit routes, and tips on how to ride.