MICHAEL D. BELSKY, MAYOR OF HIGHLAND PARK

A Humanitarian of the Year is someone who makes a difference for the community of Highland Park on a daily basis, not because one is expected to do so but because one chooses to do so.  Such is our mayor, Michael D. Belsky. From the perspective of our citizens, from the youngest to the oldest, Mayor Belsky strives to make a positive difference in everyone’s quality of life on a daily basis.

Mayor Belsky has dedicated himself to many initiatives during his time in office. Among those that are most notable include his:

• Commitment to affordable housing
• Dedication to the development of our community’s youth and support of their efforts to work on environmental issues, water preservation, and the improvement of local issues through Project Citizen, a national program that enables students to address and solve local issues
• Facilitation of the effort to provide additional federal and state funding to support education
• Active support of Green Community Initiatives
• Commitment to the fine arts, and
• Demonstration of concern regarding the youngest to the oldest throughout our community.

The Mayor was a driving force in the recently enacted federal legislation that provides for additional funding for elementary and high school students whose families have been assigned to live in FortSheridan housing.  The Mayor also assisted with the passage of state legislation addressing property tax assessments on military housing. The Mayor has made Highland Park a model community in the area of affordable housing initiatives and has led the environmental efforts in the city. He is a frequent visitor to our community’s schools and supports many of the curricular programs that enhance educational opportunities for our children. He embodies the concept of personal sacrifice and is courageous in his advocacy on behalf of others

In his professional life, Michael D. Belsky is the group managing director of Fitch Ratings’ public finance department. His primary responsibilities include managing more than 80 individuals based in seven offices throughout the United States engaged in municipal credit analysis for all major sectors in the municipal bond market.  Also in this capacity, he oversees all investor relations, business development and administration for the public finance group.

He graduated from Lake Forest College with a Bachelors degree in local and regional studies and earned an M.A. from the University of Chicago’s HarrisSchool of Public Policy Studies. He served two terms as a council member on the Highland Park City Council and is currently serving his second term as mayor.  As mayor, Michael serves as a member of the Finance Committee and the city’s Parking Commission. Currently, our Mayor is a board member of the Highland ParkHospital Foundation, which oversees a fund used for health related grants to community groups located in the hospital’s service area. Professionally, he is a board member of the Municipal Bond Club of Chicago and a co-chair of the club’s Education Committee.