Today, Illinois Realtors announced the promotion of Gideon Blustein to the role of senior director of local government and external affairs. After serving as a director of member outreach for Illinois Realtors for nearly seven years, Blustein now takes over for Mike Scobey, who is retiring. In the new position, he will lead local governmental affairs for the association as well as head grassroots advocacy and external relations initiatives.

Illinois Realtors’ program for local governmental affairs was founded more than 20 years ago and remains integral to the organization’s mission. Consisting of lobbyists and policy professionals, team members collaborate to identify high-priority issues and attempt to improve the Illinois real estate economy.

Having previously worked in both the public sector and on national political campaigns, Blustein is experienced communing with elected officials and other community leaders. As the Illinois Realtors senior director of local government and external affairs, he will advance Scobey’s existing connections to increase housing access throughout Illinois. Specifically, Blustein wants to help elect local candidates who care about real estate and will defend property rights. Recently, Blustein helped facilitate the association’s discriminatory appraisals task force, with a focus on inclusion initiatives. He also secured funding for fair housing training and, for the suburb of Joliet, branding training. Overall, he seeks to ensure that the Illinois Realtors agenda reflects the diversity of the state’s industry.