HR1199 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1199 LRB093 23547 CSA 53544 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives offer our sincere appreciation to Joel A. Kagann for his many years of service as DuPage County Circuit Court Clerk; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann started his distinguished public service career as a suburban police officer in 1957; he was appointed Chief of Police of Woodridge, Illinois in 1962 and served as Chief until November 1971; he was instrumental in promoting many innovative programs, including the Illinois Governmental Police Training Board and the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN), which links every police department in the State of Illinois on a common radio frequency for emergencies; and

WHEREAS, In 1973, the citizens of Woodridge elected Mr. Kagann as Mayor on a "write-in" ballot, and he served in that capacity until 1977; while serving as Mayor of Woodridge, Mr. Kagann was appointed Administrative Assistant to DuPage County Circuit Court Clerk John Cockrell where he was instrumental in the ongoing implementation of computer-based technology in that office; and

WHEREAS, In 1979, Mr. Kagann was appointed as Acting Clerk of the Village of Woodridge; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann became Senior Executive Assistant to the Circuit Clerk in 1983; in 1988, he was appointed Chief Deputy Circuit Court Clerk; upon the retirement of Mr. Cockrell in 1991, the judges of the DuPage County Circuit Court appointed Mr. Kagann to the office of Clerk of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court, DuPage County, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann was elected as Circuit Court Clerk in 1992, and has announced his retirement from that position at the end of his term on November 30, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann's inspiration, leadership, and diligence has lead to the advancement of the DuPage County Circuit Court Clerk's office; he undertook the responsibility of moving the entire operation of the clerk's office from a location it had occupied since 1896 to the newly-built DuPage County Judicial Center; under his leadership, the clerk's office started implementing the latest technology in electronic recordkeeping and became the first large-size court in the United States of America to operate an optical disk "image system"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court's Judicial Management Advisory Council, which developed communication networks between all sectors of the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann is a member of numerous statewide associations, including the Illinois Association of Circuit Clerks, the Illinois Family Support Enforcement Council, the International, Illinois and DuPage County Chiefs of Police Associations, the Illinois and DuPage County Police Associations, the Illinois Association of County Officials, the Northeast Illinois Association of Court Clerks, and the National Child Support Enforcement Association; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann has volunteered his time for several community organizations, including the Lions Club, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts, and the Woodridge Special Events Committee; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kagann was a founding member of Saint Scholastica Roman Catholic Church in Woodridge, where he has served as an usher for over 25 years and as a Eucharist Minister for 20 years; and

WHEREAS, In appreciation of Mr. Kagann's commitment and hard work, the Village of Woodridge recognized him as "Citizen of the Year" in 1987; he and his wife were the recipients of the "Building on our Dream" award from the Village of Woodridge in 2000; and

WHEREAS, The County of Dupage, the Village of Woodridge, and the State of Illinois are proud to call Mr. Kagann our mentor and friend; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joel A. Kagann on his retirement and express our gratitude for his many years of public service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Kagann.