Naperville Mayor George Pradel said Wednesday he hopes  Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel will continue a tradition that began with Richard M. Daley of reaching out to worth with collar county suburbs.

“I’m hoping that Rahm will be able to maintain that,” Pradel said of the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus — which Daley convened in 1997. He said the forum the caucus created has been a valuable resource for suburban communities to share ideas with the mayor.

“It’s very selfish, but we certainly like to have that leadership and that camaraderie between the mayor of Chicago and all of us in the suburbs,” Pradel said.

Pradel said many of the problems prevalent in Chicago — such as dealing with unfunded mandates handed down from Springfield, budgeting and garbage collection — exist in suburban communities as well. He said he hopes the cooperation doesn’t disappear with a new mayor.

“He has kind of a mentorship, whether he will admit it or not,” he said of the mayor’s office. “We kind of like to get his advice on ‘what would you do if you were in our area? How would you handle that in Chicago?’”

The mayor of Chicago has influence on several issues that concern Naperville, Pradel said. As the largest suburban user of Lake Michigan water, Pradel said Emanuel could have an effect on rates for the public utility. Additionally, Emanuel will have input in ongoing plans for the Elgin O’Hare-West Bypass plan, which would allow Naperville residents easier access.

“If we do good in the suburbs, naturally it will flow right into Chicago,” Pradel said. “And if Chicago does well, naturally us suburban cities benefit from it.”