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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Willard R. | ||||||
4 | Helander on the occasion of her retirement as Lake County Clerk | ||||||
5 | on November 30, 2014 after 20 years of dedicated service; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Willard Helander graduated with honors, earning a | ||||||
7 | Bachelor's Degree in 1974 from the University of Mississippi; | ||||||
8 | she subsequently earned a Juris Doctor from the University of | ||||||
9 | Tennessee College of Law in 1977 and was initiated into the | ||||||
10 | public sector in 1977, when she held a judicial clerkship for | ||||||
11 | the Tennessee Civil Court of Appeals; and
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12 | WHEREAS, After moving to Illinois, working in the trust and | ||||||
13 | probate field, and raising her 3 children, Willard Helander | ||||||
14 | returned to the public sector in 1992 and became the founding | ||||||
15 | Executive Director of the Transportation Management | ||||||
16 | Association of Central Lake County, where she served with | ||||||
17 | distinction until seeking public office; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Willard Helander was first elected as the Lake | ||||||
19 | County Clerk in 1994; during her tenure, she continually | ||||||
20 | challenged herself and her staff to provide superior customer | ||||||
21 | service; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Willard Helander oversaw the implementation of | ||||||
2 | technology and automation in the Clerk's Office, including | ||||||
3 | optical scan voting, an expansion of voting options for people | ||||||
4 | with disabilities, early voting, and the piloting of the first | ||||||
5 | internet reporting of election results in the State of | ||||||
6 | Illinois, one of only 2 counties in the State to do so in 1996; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, Due to Willard Helander's pioneering leadership | ||||||
9 | in the technological field, the Lake County Clerk's Office | ||||||
10 | received the "Most Innovative Technology" award through the | ||||||
11 | International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Elected | ||||||
12 | Officials, and Treasurers in recognition of the County's | ||||||
13 | internally-created geographic information system software, | ||||||
14 | which was used during the millennial census for redistricting | ||||||
15 | purposes and resulted in a savings of $500,000 to taxpayers; | ||||||
16 | and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Willard Helander is highly regarded in her field | ||||||
18 | and is a member of multiple professional associations, | ||||||
19 | including the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, | ||||||
20 | Elected Officials, and Treasurers, the Illinois Association of | ||||||
21 | County Clerks and Recorders, and the Joint Elected Officials | ||||||
22 | Liaison Committee; she is also a member of the Illinois State | ||||||
23 | Bar Association and is a past member of the State Board of | ||||||
24 | Elections Advisory Committee; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Willard Helander has been a vocal proponent of | ||||||
2 | maintaining accuracy, fairness, and integrity in the election | ||||||
3 | process; and
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4 | WHEREAS, In addition to her commitment as a public servant, | ||||||
5 | Willard Helander is an active participant in her community and | ||||||
6 | serves on the boards of many civic organizations, including | ||||||
7 | MainStreet Libertyville, Inc., the Boys and Girls Club of Lake | ||||||
8 | County, Community Action Partnership, the Salvation Army Adult | ||||||
9 | Rehabilitation Center, Youth and Family Counseling, and the | ||||||
10 | Daughters of the American Revolution; therefore, be it
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11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
12 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
13 | we congratulate Willard R. Helander on the occasion of her | ||||||
14 | retirement and wish her continued success and happiness in the | ||||||
15 | future; and be it further
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16 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | presented to Willard Helander as a symbol of our esteem and | ||||||
18 | respect.
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