Tom Haeberle of RE/MAX 1st Choice Named to Ottawa Port District Board
Chicago, IL – November 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Tom Haeberle, broker/owner of RE/MAX 1st Choice in Ottawa, Ill., recently was appointed by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to the newly created seven-member Ottawa Port District Board of Directors. It’s another opportunity for Haeberle to contribute to the economic vitality of Ottawa and LaSalle County.
Haeberle has long been an integral part of the local business community, having run a real estate brokerage in Ottawa since 1979. Earlier this year, Haeberle made his brokerage part of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network, opening RE/MAX 1st Choice at 130 W. Lafayette St.
“I’ve been involved in the community for a long time,” Haeberle said. “As a member of the Port District Board, I look forward to expanding my role and facilitating new economic development. I think I bring some expertise and depth to the position. It’s certainly a good board, made up of business people from the Ottawa area. I’m confident we’ll be very successful with this.”
The Ottawa Port District, which encompasses the City of Ottawa and some surrounding areas, can finance new economic-development projects by issuing revenue bonds. The district has no taxing powers unless voters first approve new taxes through a referendum.
As state law requires, Gov. Quinn appointed four members to the Port District Board, while Ottawa’s mayor, Robert Eschbach, appointed the remaining three members.
Board membership is an unpaid position, but for Haeberle, the chance to help boost economic development in Ottawa outweighed the time away from work that his new board seat will require.
Now that the port district has been established, Ottawa can apply for grants that are available only to cities that have their own port districts. Nearby LaSalle-Peru and Seneca already have port districts.
Haeberle said the port district can be a great tool as Ottawa seeks funding to improve its transportation infrastructure.
“This will help us find the funds we need to build up our transportation and rail services,” Haeberle said. “It will help set our area apart a bit. As a member of the Port District Board, I’m looking forward to helping expand economic opportunity for all the residents of our city and county.”
RE/MAX has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989. The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network consists of 2,200 sales associates and 105 individually owned and operated RE/MAX offices that provide a full range of brokerage services throughout the northern one-third of Illinois. Its www.illinoisproperty.com and www.remax.com websites are leaders in consumer visits among real estate franchise brands. Its mobile search, m.illinoisproperty.com, allows users to conduct real estate searches on any mobile device with Internet access. The northern Illinois network is part of RE/MAX LLC, a global real estate organization with 89,000 sales associates in 85 nations.
About RE/MAX Northern Illinois
RE/MAX has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989. The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network consists of 2,200 sales associates and 105 individually owned and operated RE/MAX offices that provide a full range of brokerage services throughout the northern one-third of Illinois. Its www.illinoisproperty.com and www.remax.com websites are leaders in consumer visits among real estate franchise brands. Its mobile search, m.illinoisproperty.com, allows users to conduct real estate searches on any mobile device with Internet access. The northern Illinois network is part of RE/MAX LLC, a global real estate organization with 89,000 sales associates in 85 nations.
