RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Honorable Charles R. Bernardini has been designated Knight Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic; and
WHEREAS, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano conferred the honor and it was announced by Consul General Adriano Monti in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Charles R. Bernardini is a widely admired community leader and a distinguished partner with the law firm of Ungaretti & Harris in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Charles R. Bernardini grew up in downstate Streator and graduated from the University of Illinois Law School in Champaign before relocating to Chicago; and
WHEREAS, A second-generation Italian American, the Honorable Charles R. Bernardini grandparents came to America in 1900 from the Appenine mountains in Italy and first settled in the coal mining town of Cherry, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, During his career in public service, fhe Honorable Charles R. Bernardini earned the distinction of being one of the few Chicagoans who served as both a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and the Chicago City Council; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Charles R. Bernardini was elected in 1986 to the Cook County Board of Commissioners and resigned in 1993 to take the position of Managing Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Milan, Italy; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, the Honorable Charles R. Bernardini was asked by Mayor Daley to return to Chicago where he was appointed Alderman of the 43rd Ward, and was re-elected in 1995 and served until 1999; and
WHEREAS, As a highly respected attorney and bar leader, the Honorable Charles R. Bernardini serves as a trusted role model in the Justinian Society of Lawyers; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Charles R. Bernardini served as President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Chicago from 2006 to 2009; and
WHEREAS, The hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the Honorable Charles R. Bernardini serve as an example to all; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this twenty-fifth day of June, 2014, do hereby warmly congratulate the Honorable Charles R. Bernardini on receiving this prestigious honor; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Honorable Charles R. Bernardini.
Alderman - 14th Ward