M. Cameron Davis, a Democrat and sitting commissioner on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board, is seeking one of three seats up for election on Nov. 3, 2026. The race fills a partial term. Voters choose up to three candidates.
Candidate information
- Name: M. Cameron Davis
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board (partial term)
- Education: Bachelor's degree in international relations, Boston University; law degree, Illinois Institute of Technology (1992); certificate in environmental and energy law, Chicago-Kent College of Law (1992)
- Personal: Davis is, with his wife and two children, an organic blueberry farmer, according to his MWRD biography. He is the author of "Confluence: Genoir® of An American Family, The Better Part of Valor."
Experience and public service
Davis has served as an MWRD commissioner since 2018. He chairs the Industrial Waste & Water Pollution and Public Health & Welfare committees and serves as vice chairman of the Judiciary and Real Estate Development committees, according to his MWRD biography.
Before joining the board, Davis served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2009 to 2017, according to BallotReady profile data. The Obama administration appointed him to coordinate the work of 11 federal departments on Great Lakes matters, a role informally known as "Great Lakes Czar."
That position involved coordinating more than $2 billion in investments for contaminated sediment cleanups, invasive species prevention, habitat restoration and runoff reduction, according to his MWRD biography.
Davis helped draft the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact and testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to pass it, his MWRD biography states. He also helped draft legislation authorizing the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Great Lakes Legacy Act.
Earlier, Davis served as president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes from 1998 to 2009, according to BallotReady. Under his leadership, the organization established the Adopt-a-Beach program and won the American Bar Association's Distinguished Award in Environmental Law & Policy. He also worked as an attorney and regional executive at the National Wildlife Federation from 1992 to 1998.
Davis also serves as a vice president at GEI Consultants, Inc. and as founder and president of Genoir, according to BallotReady.
On the issues
Davis outlined several priorities in candidate questionnaire responses compiled by WTTW and BallotReady.
Water reuse and Lake Michigan protection: Davis said he promotes recycled water as a more cost-effective alternative to withdrawing clean water from Lake Michigan. "Lake Michigan water belongs in Lake Michigan," Davis said in his WTTW questionnaire response.
Shifting costs from taxpayers to polluters: Davis said he has pushed for "polluter pays" mechanisms to shift the financial burden of contaminants such as PFAS and pharmaceuticals from Cook County taxpayers to manufacturers. Some of those efforts have resulted in bills before the state legislature, including HB 2955, Davis said. He also said he has led the effort for MWRD to use drug take-back programs paid for by pharmaceutical manufacturers under Illinois law.
Flooding reduction: Davis said he supports reducing flooding, especially in vulnerable communities, according to his BallotReady response.
Green infrastructure: Davis said he has led the effort to expand green infrastructure from Chicago schools to suburban schoolyards, according to his WTTW response.
Invasive species: Davis said he supports MWRD providing technical assistance to keep invasive species from transferring between the Chicago waterway system and the Great Lakes. He co-chaired the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee during the Obama administration, he said.
Endorsements
The following organizations have endorsed Davis, according to BallotReady, which credited the endorsements to the endorsers:
- Cook County Democrats
- Illinois Sierra Club
- IUOE Local 150
- Citizen Action Illinois
- Northside Democracy for America
Candidate issue positions are based on questionnaire responses submitted to WTTW and BallotReady. Responses reflect the candidate's own claims and have not been independently verified.
