HR0277 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0277 LRB097 11488 GRL 54152 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize those who dedicate themselves to serving the people of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 1990, while serving on the Glendale Heights Recreation Commission, Linda Jackson decided to toss her hat in the ring and run for Village Trustee in District 4; she was quoted as saying that she wanted to see "honest and responsible government in Glendale Heights"; and

WHEREAS, On April 3, 1991, Linda Jackson was elected by the residents of Glendale Heights as the new Trustee for District 4; on April 5, 1991, she was sworn into public office and took her seat at her very first Village Board Meeting; she was subsequently re-elected as District 4 Trustee in 1995 and 1999 and was later appointed Deputy Mayor; and

WHEREAS, On April 5, 2001, Linda Jackson was elected by the residents of Glendale Heights as the new Village President; she was re-elected to the position in 2005 and 2009; she is currently serving her third term in office; and

WHEREAS, April 7, 2011 marks Linda Jackson's 20th anniversary of service in the administration of Glendale Heights; this milestone in her political career makes her the longest serving public official on the Glendale Heights Village Board and the longest serving Glendale Heights Village President in the history of the Village; her current term of office does not expire until 2013; and

WHEREAS, During her career, President Jackson has served on numerous Village committees and commissions; she currently serves on the International Day Committee, the Charity Golf Classic Committee, the Historical Committee, the Special Events Commission, the Founder's Day Committee, the Christmas Sharing Committee, the Golf Course Committee, the Governmental Agency Partnership, and the Senior Citizens Service Council; she is also a proud graduate of the Glendale Heights Citizens Police Academy and Citizens Emergency Response Team; and

WHEREAS, President Jackson is a member of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Glendale Heights Jr. Woman's Club, the Glendale Heights Chamber of Commerce, and the Glendale Heights V.F.W. Post 2377 Ladies Auxiliary; and

WHEREAS, President Jackson was the proud recipient of the Illinois Woman of Achievement Award in 2000 and the Outstanding Patriotism Award from the State of Illinois V.F.W. in 2006; she also championed 4 Governor's Home Town Awards for Glendale Heights in 2000, 2001, 2006, and 2007; and

WHEREAS, Together with the Village Board, President Jackson has played an integral role in the development and improvement of numerous public buildings and parks within the Village of Glendale Heights over the past 20 years, including the development of the Glendale Lakes Golf Club and Banquet Facility, Camera Park, and Skate Park, the Glendale Heights Aquatic Center, the expansion of the Glendale Heights Sports Hub to provide indoor sports fields, Millennium Park, Veterans Memorial Park, the Glendale Heights Historic House, the redevelopment of Reskin Park, and most recently, the Glendale Heights Center for Senior Citizens, among many others; her name is engraved on the plaques of almost every public building in the Village of Glendale Heights; and

WHEREAS, President Jackson is admired for her extraordinary patriotic spirit of the great nation that we live in and her passion for making the Village of Glendale Heights a "Proud and Progressive Village for all People!"; and

WHEREAS, President Jackson continues to work tirelessly to offer the 34,208 residents of the Village of Glendale Heights a better quality of life; she is well-known throughout the community and respected for her willingness to embrace what is good for Glendale Heights and fight against what is not; and

WHEREAS, President Jackson is well known by the youth of the Village of Glendale Heights; she never misses a D.A.R.E. or G.R.E.A.T. graduation ceremony at the local elementary schools and she takes time to recognize the youth for their special achievements at Village Board Meetings; she celebrates students in Government Day by inviting middle school students to take the seats of the Village Board at a public meeting to experience service to the community as an elected official; she also invites hundreds of elementary school students to visit the Civic Center Campus to get an inside look at local government at work because she sees them as the future leaders of Glendale Heights; and

WHEREAS, Linda Jackson and her husband, Bill, have been residents of the Village of Glendale Heights for the past 37 years and raised their four children, Steve, Tracy, Bill and Don, in the community; she has been blessed with 5 grandchildren Jennifer, Stevie, Cody, Ashley, and Jonathon, and 4 step-grandchildren, Nick, Joey, Chris, and Kaitlynn, who have all spent a lot of time growing up around the Village Hall and who also all live in the Village; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize President Linda Jackson for her legacy of service over the past 20 years and for her continued dedication and commitment to the Village of Glendale Heights and its residents; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to President Linda Jackson as a symbol of our respect and esteem.