HR0368 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0368 LRB100 12597 MST 25787 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate John Brown on the occasion of his retirement from the Rock Island County Clerk's Office on April 28, 2017; and

WHEREAS, John Brown was born to Joan (Kerres) and John Brown Sr. on October 16, 1951, the oldest of 10 children; he was the third generation to be a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rock Island, and graduated from Alleman High School and Southern Illinois University; and

WHEREAS, John Brown began working elections in the 1970s by organizing Blackhawk Township for his father's successful supervisor candidacy, and since 1978, he has been a Democratic Precinct Committeeman; he first worked in the Rock Island County Clerk's office under John Gianulis beginning in 1982; he continued with County Clerk Dick Leibovitz until 1997, when he succeeded Carolyn Lund as supervisor of Rock Island Township, serving until 2013; in 2010, he re-joined the Rock Island County Clerk's office with Karen Kinney; and

WHEREAS, John Brown is a strategic thinker who knows elections, from the rules and processes to the precinct-by-precinct results; he is the foremost expert in the area of administering elections; and

WHEREAS, John Brown is involved with many projects as chief deputy: cleaning up the voter files, civil unions and marriage equality, same-day voter registration, and improving early voting locations and availability; and

WHEREAS, John Brown loves his cats; he enjoys gardening in his backyard and growing strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and spinach; he recently renovated his historical home; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate John Brown on his retirement from the Rock Island County Clerk's Office on April 28, 2017, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to John Brown as an expression of our esteem and respect.