HR0152 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0152 LRB103 31390 ECR 59012 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to commend Alderperson Roderick T. Sawyer on his service to the 6th Ward as a member of the Chicago City Council; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer was born and raised in Chicago's 6th Ward, joined the 6th Ward Young Democrats as a child, and has called the 6th Ward home his entire life; he is the youngest of three children born to Celeste C. Taylor and the late Honorable Eugene Sawyer, former Mayor of Chicago and 6th Ward Alderperson; he attended the Howalton Day School before graduating from St. Ignatius College Prep in 1981, earning his Bachelor of Science in Finance from DePaul University four years later; he received his Juris Doctor from IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law in 1990 and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar that same year; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer has practiced at the Law Office of Roderick T. Sawyer since 1993, becoming an expert on licensing issues and specializing in election, real estate, and administrative law; his legal experience includes serving as an Administrative Law Judge for the Illinois Commerce Commission, a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Department of Transportation, a prosecutor for the Illinois Secretary of State, and as Counsel to Odelson & Sterk, Ltd.; he also volunteers as General Counsel for the eta Creative Arts Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer was sworn in as Alderperson of the 6th Ward in May 2011, representing the Chatham, Chesterfield, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Park Manor, and Auburn-Gresham neighborhoods; he was reelected in 2015 and 2019; he additionally became the Democratic Committeeman of the 6th Ward in March 2012, and he was reelected to this position in 2016 and 2020; he co-founded the Chicago City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus in 2013, and he presided as chairman of the Chicago City Council's Black Caucus from 2015 to 2019; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure, Ald. Sawyer has walked picket lines in support of those seeking a living wage, participated in countless town halls and forums, and offered free space to community organizations; in 2018, he banded together with Ald. Harry Osterman and the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA) to introduce a proposal for a controversial multilevel plan for civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department, leading to the eventual passage of Ordinance SO2019-4132 in 2021, which created Chicago's first-ever civilian-led commission empowered to set police department policy; following the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, he led the charge on an ordinance to create a city-backed commission to study possible reparations for Black Chicagoans; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer has served as chairman of the Chicago City Council's Committee on Health and Human Relations and several joint committees; he has also served as a member of the Committee on Budget and Government Operations, the Committee on Committees and Rules, the Committee on Contracting Oversight and Equity, the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, the Committee on Finance, the Committee on License and Consumer Protection, the Committee on License and Consumer Protection, the Committee on Public Safety, and several joint committees; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer remains an active participant in all of the 6th Ward's community organizations, including the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.), the Park Manor Neighbors Community Council, the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council, the Greater Chatham Alliance, the Chesterfield Community Council, the West Chesterfield Community Council, the Roseland Heights Community Council, and the 7200 Prairie Block Club, where he serves as president; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer has served on the boards of the South Shore Drill Team, the eta Creative Arts Foundation, the Meyering Park Advisory Council, and St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church; and

WHEREAS, Ald. Sawyer and his wife, Cheryll, have two children, Sydni Celeste and Roderick T. Jr.; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Alderperson Roderick T. Sawyer for his work on the Chicago City Council, and we thank him for his years of dedicated service to the people of the 6th Ward and the City of Chicago; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ald. Sawyer as a symbol of our esteem and respect.