General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,
          I am excited to get back down to Springfield next week for the first week of the fall legislative session!

          I recently had a wonderful opportunity to tour an accessible dwelling unit (ADU) in Andersonville with Governor JB Pritzker, tour the Howard Brown Clark Street Location as they prepare to renovate and expand their services and care, and provide opening remarks at the Center for Healthcare Innovation’s 14th Annual Health Equity & Innovation Symposium at the Obama Presidential Center.

          My office and I have also been involved in advocating for the safest pedestrian and cyclist conditions along Irving Park Road, as well as contacting Pace to work together and develop a direct bus route for 7th District North Siders to O’Hare Airport.

          Lastly, my district office at 1040 W. Bryn Mawr will be closed for in-person services from Wednesday, November 18 through Friday, November 20 for renovations and improvements. As always, if you, a family member or neighbor need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at 773-769-1717 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We look forward to hearing from you!

With Gratitude,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

          I am excited to roll out a new initiative from our 7th District office for young people across our district. Speeches with Mike Simmons is a new program for residents of our district that I will be bringing to high schools across the 7th District to give young people the chance to work with me and my office directly on speechwriting and public speaking about topics students are passionate about.

          When I was in high school at St. Ignatius, I started out running Track and Field and had to stop after injuries in my sophomore year. On a whim, I tried out speech and debate my Junior year. I ended up a national finalist in my Junior year and the National Championship winner for “Most Outstanding Representative” in my Senior year in the National Student Congress. My staff and I were musing on this recently and decided we want to give high school students in our district opportunities to express themselves through spoken word and debate.

          We will debut Speeches with Mike Simmons this Fall at Senn High School - more details below! If you are a high school educator or student interested in participating, please reach out to Gabby Tewodros at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With Gratitude,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District

Dear Neighbor,

          What a summer it has been so far! I want to give a huge shout out to everyone who made our 2026 Back to School Bash a massive success. Our office partnered this year with Alderwoman Hadden, Representative Cassidy, and dozens of community organizations to hand out over 600 free backpacks, school supplies, BBQ, and a huge lawn party in Willye White Park. So much planning and hard work went into this event, and I was moved by how everyone came together to give our families a strong start to the school year!

Caption: Senator Simmons hands out hundreds of free backpacks at his annual back to school bash, this year in partnership with Alderwoman Hadden and Representative Cassidy in Rogers Park.

          I am also very proud to announce that I have secured funding for several projects within the 7th District. Below are some of the wins coming to our community. I wish I could fund every single need in the district. The outreach and advocacy from neighbors, non-profit organizations, block clubs, small businesses, and more have been paramount in advising me on community needs.

          Summer naturally puts a spotlight on spending time outdoors, and the 7th District is at perhaps its most glorious this time of year. I recently took a bike ride along the lake to call attention to safeguarding our water resources from pollution and microplastics. Take a look at a video I shot with our intern Max linked here. I also walked with neighbors along Ravenswood Avenue to visit community gardens and discuss expansion of a connected greenway. Keep an eye out in the future for details on public engagement opportunities regarding the future of Ravenswood Avenue’s parkway. Finally, I have personally enjoyed getting exercise by riding my bike across the 7th District every week. If you see me cycling by, feel free to say hi!

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