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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Mayor Mark William Eckert
4on the occasion of his 60th birthday; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert was born in the City of Belleville on
6January 18, 1956 to Robert Henry and Shirley Ann "Ma" Eckert;
7he has a brother, Mike, who is married to Jean; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert grew up in Belleville and attended
9Henry Raab School and Central Jr. High; and
 
10    WHEREAS, On March 19, 1973, Mayor Eckert began working for
11Pete Gaerdner Funeral Home and Ambulance Service and continued
12his employment there for a total of 15 years until 1988; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert graduated from Belleville West High
14School in 1974, where he participated in many school
15activities, was elected Class President, and became the first
16recipient of the Student of the Year Award; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert is a graduate of the Southwestern
18Illinois Police Academy and studied at Belleville Area College
19for Law Enforcement and Paramedic EMT Training; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert married Rita nearly 30 years ago on
2April 5, 1986 and they have 4 children: Matt Joseph, who
3married Carly Miller on May 30, 2015; Kate Ann; Luke Joseph,
4who became engaged to Erika Roche on October 30, 2015; and Lucy
5Ann; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert co-founded the Franklin Neighborhood
7Community Association and served as its Executive Director from
81992 until 1995; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert was active in Boy Scouting throughout
10his life and served as Scoutmaster for 12 years, where by his
11guidance, Matt and Luke achieved the rank of Eagle Scout along
12with almost 30 other scouts; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert is a life-long member and past
14President of St. Paul United Church of Christ; and
 
15    WHEREAS, From 1997 until 2004, Mayor Eckert served as
16Alderman for Ward 5 for the City of Belleville; and
 
17    WHEREAS, On December 20, 2004, Mayor Eckert was appointed
18Mayor of the City of Belleville, and in April of 2005, he was
19elected to serve a 4-year term; he was elected to a third term
20in April of 2009 and a fourth term in April of 2013; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert has earned many awards in his career
2and he continues to expand his service and dedication to
3enhancing programs and services for the City of Belleville by
4serving on numerous boards and committees, including as
5Vice-President for the Illinois Municipal League Board and as
6President for the Southwestern Illinois Council of Mayors; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert and his wife have owned and operated
8Eckert Florist for 16 years, since September 9, 1999; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Mayor Eckert is known for his unconditional love
10for his family, strong character, devout leadership,
11commitment to his community, volunteerism spirit, and for
12promoting the vision and growth of Belleville; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15congratulate Mayor Mark William Eckert on his 60th birthday and
16wish him many more wonderful years; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to Mayor Eckert as an expression of our esteem and
19respect.