MAYOR LIGHTFOOT ANNOUNCES KENNETH MEYER TO SERVE AS COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today announced the nomination of Kenneth Meyer to serve as the next Commissioner of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP). Meyer holds more than 10 years of senior executive experience and over 25 years of government experience with the City of Chicago. This nomination is subject to City Council approval.
"Ken is a forward-thinking and dedicated leader, whose work has helped our business community through a number of tough times over the last 19 months," said Mayor Lightfoot. "With over two decades of experience, as well as a wealth of firsthand knowledge of business and consumer management, it's clear that Ken is the right public servant to lead BACP into the post-COVID world.
As commissioner, Meyer will be charged with leading BACP’s primary efforts to ensure a fair and vibrant marketplace for both businesses and consumers. BACP oversees the processing of licenses for businesses, public vehicles, and liquor establishments and issues public way use permits. Additionally, BACP protects the public from unfair and deceptive practices by investigating businesses, serves as a liaison to the small business community, provides business education and access to support services and resources, and enforces Chicago’s labor standards laws including Minimum Wage, Paid Sick Leave, and Fair Workweek.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to be asked by Mayor Lightfoot to serve the City in this capacity”, said Acting Commissioner Kenneth Meyer. “Seeing first-hand what our business community has had to endure during this global crisis brings me an immense sense of duty to step into this role at this time. I look forward to continuing the important work of our department as well as finding new ways to engage our business community and ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place.”
Meyer has served the City of Chicago for over 25 years, and since 2016 has served as the First Deputy Commissioner of BACP. In his role as First Deputy, Meyer oversaw day-to-day operations for the department and was responsible for determining priorities and establishing policy with a focus on adapting regulations to the changing business environment and consumer behavior in Chicago. He was instrumental in the development and execution of COVID-19 business relief programs, such as the bold Chi Biz Strong Initiative. Prior to joining BACP, Meyer served as the Chief of Staff for the Department of Buildings (DOB). While at DOB, he supervised the department’s annual budget of $32 million, 280 full-time employees, five bureaus, and a management team of 11 senior staff members. Additionally, he was responsible for overseeing the issuance of 38,000 building permits and 250,000 building inspections annually. His multiple previous roles include serving in the office of both Mayors Emmanuel and Daley, as well the Department of General Services.
Meyer is a graduate of Nasson College, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Government and English, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned his Master of Public Administration degree.