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| | SR0601 | | LRB099 12474 MST 35855 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
| 3 | | learn of the death of Joseph "Mayor Joe" W. Strzelczyk, who |
| 4 | | passed away on May 17, 2015; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe was born on May 21, 1939 to Chester and |
| 6 | | Loretta (nee Szrabajki) Strzelczyk; and
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| 7 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe served honorably in the United States |
| 8 | | Army during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1963; he served 5 |
| 9 | | years in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1968; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe launched his own businesses in 1976 as a |
| 11 | | self-employed "trader" at the Chicago Board of Options |
| 12 | | Exchange, where he also owned a prestigious Trading Seat; and
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| 13 | | WHEREAS, In the 1980s, Mayor Joe shared his passion for |
| 14 | | softball through writing columns, hosting a cable television |
| 15 | | program and radio show, and coaching the North American Pro |
| 16 | | Softball league in 1980; he was inducted into the Softball Hall |
| 17 | | of Fame in 2012; and
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| 18 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe had a passion for helping people, which |
| 19 | | led him to spend much of his life working with young people as |
| 20 | | a baseball coach and eventually entering a career in public |
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| 1 | | service; and
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe entered into public service in 1978, |
| 3 | | working as a Special Recreation Instructor for the Chicago Park |
| 4 | | District; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe started his tenure as Summit Village |
| 6 | | Trustee in 1990; he was elected Mayor in 1997 and re-elected to |
| 7 | | that position in 2001, 2005, 2009, and 2013; and
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| 8 | | WHEREAS, During Mayor Joe's tenure, he secured more than |
| 9 | | $2.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funding, |
| 10 | | which he used to improve streets and strengthen Summit's |
| 11 | | infrastructure; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, Under Mayor Joe's direction, Summit was able to |
| 13 | | build a 78-unit, $14 million Senior Housing Development; in |
| 14 | | 2013, Summit was also included in the revenue sharing agreement |
| 15 | | with the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, which brought in more |
| 16 | | than $604,000 to the Village; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Thanks to Mayor Joe's leadership, new businesses |
| 18 | | moved to Summit, the village's debt was reduced, and crime made |
| 19 | | a steady decline; and
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| 20 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe was proud of Summit's diversity and |
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| 1 | | strived to ensure the Village remained well-balanced and all |
| 2 | | voices were heard; and
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| 3 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe dedicated his entire life to the people |
| 4 | | of Summit and served the Village with sincere kindness, |
| 5 | | honesty, integrity and an enduring commitment to improve Summit |
| 6 | | and the lives of its residents; his legacy will go unmatched; |
| 7 | | and
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| 8 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe was preceded in death by his parents, |
| 9 | | and a brother Chester (Trudy) Strzelczyk; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, Mayor Joe is survived by his 3 nephews, Chet |
| 11 | | (Stacy), John (Kim), and Ken (Flo) Strzelczyk; his 5 |
| 12 | | great-nieces and nephews, Bret, Matthew, Kyra, Johnny, and |
| 13 | | Justin; his 2 godchildren, C.J. and Emma; his aunt, Gloria |
| 14 | | Strzelczyk; and his cousins Bernie (Margaret) Migas, Diane |
| 15 | | (Steve) Kusenda, Kathy (John) Rayson, and many more; therefore, |
| 16 | | be it
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| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL |
| 18 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 19 | | Joseph "Mayor Joe" W. Strzelczyk, and we extend our sincere |
| 20 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved |
| 21 | | him; and be it further
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