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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to honor our esteemed colleague,
4State Representative Robert Flider, for his eight years as a
5member of the Illinois General Assembly and thank him for his
6many years of dedicated service to the people of Illinois; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Robert Flider was born on October 22, 1957; grew
8up in Mattoon, and graduated from Mattoon High School in 1975,
9where he met his wife, Jean; he graduated from Eastern Illinois
10University with a degree in journalism in 1979 and spent three
11years as a reporter in Eastern Illinois, beginning with the
12Mattoon Journal-Gazette; he later worked for the Central
13Illinois Public Service Company as a legislative analyst and
14then joined Illinois Power as a government affairs
15representative and project manager; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Representative Flider received a certificate of
17business administration from the University of Illinois in
181999; attended the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
19and the EEI Executive Public Policy Institute in Washington,
20D.C.; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Representative Flider began his career in public
22office in 1991 as a member of the Mt. Zion Board of Trustees, a

 

 

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1post in which he served for four years; beginning in 1995, he
2served eight years as mayor of the Village of Mt. Zion, in that
3time developing a community-wide planning initiative called
4"Mt. Zion 2000," and a comprehensive plan which led to the
5construction of Goodwin Park, quality subdivisions, new
6sidewalks, roads, and bike paths; and while mayor, he also
7served on the Decatur-Macon County Economic Development
8Commission and the Macon County Regional Planning Commission;
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, In January 2003, Representative Flider was
11appointed 101st District State Representative to complete the
12term of former State Representative Julie Curry, representing
13all or parts of Macon, Moultrie, and Shelby counties; he was
14elected State Representative in 2004, and re-elected in 2006
15and 2008; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Representative Flider has always made it a
17priority to provide outstanding constituent services to the
18residents of the 101st District; he has fought to secure State
19funding for crucial community projects and infrastructure
20improvements across Central Illinois; he loves to work with
21local officials, business owners, and organizations, labor
22members and unions to improve our schools, identify new markets
23for Illinois agricultural products, create and retain jobs, and
24fight for the rights and a fair wage for working families; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2005, to honor the service and achievements of
2the late State Senator Penny Severns of Decatur, Representative
3Flider passed legislation renaming the portion of Interstate 72
4between Decatur and Springfield the Penny Severns Memorial
5Highway; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Representative Flider spent his public service
7career as a consumer advocate and was instrumental in passing a
8law in 2007 providing $1 billion in rate relief for electric
9utility consumers in Illinois and creating a new State energy
10procurement agency to bring down the high cost of energy for
11customers; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Representative Flider has worked to strengthen
13Illinois' schools and provide greater educational
14opportunities for students; he secured additional funding for
15local schools while authoring and passing into law the
16Community Education Act, creating a Statewide community
17service education program to encourage young students to become
18more civic oriented; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Representative Flider recognized the importance
20of helping businesses remain competitive in Central Illinois
21and working with local business officials, local chambers of
22commerce, and elected officials to find ways to stimulate

 

 

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1growth in the economy; he passed a law creating the Central
2Illinois Economic Development Authority to provide resources
3and expertise for long-term economic development plans in the
4region; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Representative Flider has always been
6civically-minded and involved, volunteering his time on behalf
7of a number of community organizations, including the Decatur
8Rotary and Lions Club; serving on the Board of Directors of the
9Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County,
10the United Way of Decatur/Macon County, the Downtown Decatur
11Council, the Seniorama Committee, the Knights of Columbus,
12Easter Seals of Central Illinois, and the Mid-Illinois Chapter
13of the American Red Cross; he has coached youth sports and
14taught Sunday school at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Catholic
15Church in Mt. Zion; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Although he has pursued his public service with
17great passion, for Representative Flider the most important
18thing in his life has always been his family; he and his wife,
19Jean, are the proud parents of three children, Kylee, Lucas,
20and Caitlyn, and the grandparents of Makenna; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
23thank State Representative Robert Flider for his service to the

 

 

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1people of Illinois and wish him much success in all of his
2future endeavors; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to State Representative Robert Flider as an
5expression of our respect and esteem.