CHICAGO—Back in Chicago for a week of meeting constituents, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) got his hands dirty at Graymills Manufacturing and visited a band classroom at Bateman Elementary School.  Quigley visited Graymills on the North Side to get a closer look at the ins-and-outs of the small business, and continued his Undercover Congressman program by helping to assemble a few industrial pumps.  Later in the week, Quigley visited a school band rehearsal at Bateman School, who – with the Congressman’s support – received a federal grant through the North River After School Collaborative. 

Quigley continued his Undercover Congressman program at Graymills Manufacturing on Lincoln Avenue.  where he assembled industrial pumps. 

Quigley visits with Bateman Elementary School’s band class after securing a federal grant for the band program. 

“From the small businesses that drive our economy to the afterschool programs that help shape our kids,  understanding the needs of 5^th District communities is the most important part of my job,” said Quigley.  “No matter how many briefings I attend in Washington, there is no substitute for coming home and seeing the real-world impact of policies I’m voting on.”

For the past two years, Quigley has worked alongside 5^th district residents in dozens of jobs so he can experience the challenges his constituents face and see the many ways they serve their community.

As an “Undercover Congressman,” Quigley has worked with local businesses and institutions including delivering mail, working as a Superdawg car hop, assembling pinball machines at the Stern pinball factory, assisting guests at a veterans hospital and food pantry, delivering pizzas, spending a day as a zookeeper at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and recently, at Advocate Illinois Masonic hospital.