HR0452 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0452 LRB094 12368 CSA 46498 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Mayor Dan Cougill of the City of Charleston has retired after 12 years in office; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Cougill returned to his Charleston hometown in June 1992 with his wife, Sallie, after retiring as an Air Force brigadier general; his Air Force service included assignments in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm, where he was director of command and control communications for all U.S. and allied coalition forces; and

WHEREAS, He served three consecutive terms, with his tenure as mayor beginning in April 1993; on the campaign trail, he said the city needed a long-term plan for infrastructure improvements and economic development; his later efforts helped produce strategic and comprehensive plans for growth, followed by updates to the city's 34-year-old zoning ordinances and development regulations; he also moved Charleston into the city manager form of government, a change voters approved 3,808 to 2,287 in 1996; and

WHEREAS, He recognized the value in extending water and sewer lines to the Coles Business Park, building a new water tower and replacing the water treatment plant, opening the Woodyard Conservation Area along Illinois Route 130, expanding the Eastern Illinois University's Fine Arts Center, and developing the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum and the Kiwanis Park amphitheater, which he helped to construct; the amphitheater is home to the Charleston Community Band, in which he plays the tuba; and

WHEREAS, He brought an organized, detailed approach to government that he combined with a great work ethic; he was a particularly good planner and provided the city with considerable professionalism; his presence will be felt for many years through the wide-ranging actions that the city has taken during his tenure; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Cougill's accomplishments have earned him respect and admiration, and the citizens of Charleston are very appreciative of his service to the community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Mayor Dan Cougill for his many years of outstanding service and dedication to the City of Charleston; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Dan Cougill as an expression of our esteem.