The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its inaugural Unity Breakfast Monday morning to help bring the community back together after the elections.
Feeling the need to “step in”
“We realized that we as leaders in the community really needed to step in. Because we saw that the campaigns were becoming ever more increasingly divisive,” said Beth Goncher, director of government affairs for NACC. “And we really understood that the day after the election, we’ve got work to do. We lose people every year because they run for office and the election doesn’t go as they’d hoped, so they go away. We lose that opportunity to create partnerships and to move forward on some really good ideas that come about.”
Panel of officials talk about finding a path forward
Included in the morning’s audience were a number of Naperville mayoral and city council candidates, along with some of those elected. They heard from a panel of officials about best practices in finding a path forward post-election.
“You want to reach a hand across the aisle. You want to work together. We’re not sitting here talking about winners and losers because when we work together, the people we represent are the winners. And that’s the way it should be,” said Illinois State Senator Linda Holmes.
“We can all get to the same destination by taking a different path. It really depends on your point of reference. One of the things that are like this is that we must learn how to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools,” said Clayton Muhammad chief communications and equity officer for the city of Aurora.
Naperville’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager Geneace Williams stressed the importance of mutual appreciation.
“There is nothing more important than people beginning with respect and civility toward one another. Building trust so that we work together, producing greater results. Allowing us to have pride in the outcome of outstanding service and work in the Naperville community. This, we accomplish by all coming together,” said Dr. Geneace Williams, diversity, equity, and inclusion manager of Naperville.
Mayor Steve Chirico’s address
And Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico spoke about honing in on the commonalities of those who run for office, and what their mission is.
“We all go to the same place that shares goals. Your purpose in a community is coming together, sharing goals, and sharing values. And it is why I think most people run for office. Because they want to protect the community that they love. You have to have a focus on the things we have in common. And that takes a lot of work to hold on to that because it’s so easy to get distracted and to get pulled one way or another,” said Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico.
An annual event
The NACC plans to make the Unity Breakfast an annual event.
“I hope that we got people thinking of what their role is and what they’re going to do to contribute to it. We cannot get so discouraged by the results of elections or by the messaging of campaigns that we cease to act. So, like I said, that’s our belief, our hope at the end of the day is that challenge and that encouragement to move forward,” said Goncher.
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