HARRISBURG, IL – Alexander County is another small step closer to moving forward with economic progress, thanks to the continued work of State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg). In cooperation with Sen. Fowler, the Governor today made four appointments to the Alexander-Cairo Port District.

“I want to thank the Governor for his quick action to nominate members after our early consultation with local leaders,” Fowler said. “I look forward to working with the new board in order to help make the Port Authority a reality. It’s going to take a collaborative effort to get Cairo and Alexander County’s economic engine ‘fired up’ again.”

April 7 marked another “page turn” as the Governor nominated four members to reconstitute the Alexander-Cairo Port District. The board was created in 2010 by the previous administration, but has been largely ignored; it appears the board has not met in at least five years.

The Port District is made up of seven appointed members, four from the Governor’s Office, two from Alexander County, and one from the City of Cairo. Members must be residents of the Alexander County and will serve without compensation.

Lawrence Klein, Mark Glaab, retired Judge Steve Spoemer, and Jack Guetterman will serve as the Governor’s appointees.

Lawrence Klein, a life-long resident of Cairo, said, “Many thanks to Senator Dale Fowler and Governor Rauner for the appointment to the Alexander-Cairo Port District. I firmly believe that our team will work diligently to bring wealth and prosperity back to the region.”

Mr. Glabb also commented, “Thanks to the renewed efforts of our leadership in Springfield, it seems that there is a much brighter future ahead for our community. The Port District will be a critical part of helping to develop the river bank into a modern river freight facility.”