Harvey, Illinois, Elects Acting Mayor
The City Council of Harvey, a suburb of Chicago, has elected Shirley Drewenski to serve as acting mayor. The election follows the death of Mayor Christopher Clark last month.
- Acting Mayor Shirley Drewenski takes leadership as Harvey seeks a "financially distressed city" designation from the state, a move intended to address a $150 million budget deficit and nearly two decades of unpaid police and fire pensions. - The city's housing market is marked by a high vacancy rate of 23.84%, presenting potential opportunities for investors focused on rehabilitation. This aligns with the work of the Southland Development Authority's Harvey Housing Initiative, which focuses on renovating distressed properties and returning them to the tax rolls. - Despite financial challenges, Harvey's real estate market has seen a decrease in days on market for homes, with a year-over-year drop of 15.85% recently noted, signaling faster selling conditions. The median sale price of a home was recently reported between $135,000 and $154,900. - Under the late Mayor Clark's administration, the city adopted its first comprehensive plan since 1968 in February 2025, creating a new strategic blueprint for growth and economic development that the new administration will now oversee. - Harvey offers a suite of economic development incentives for investors, including Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, Enterprise Zones, and Cook County's Class 8 property tax reductions, which can be crucial for the financial viability of new projects. - Single-family detached homes constitute the majority (63.68%) of Harvey's housing stock, with a significant portion (48.46%) built in the post-World War II era between the 1940s and 1960s. - Drewenski and the late Mayor Christopher Clark were long-time political allies, having previously worked together as aldermen to challenge a former mayor over fiscal transparency and city business.
