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OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
February 10,2016
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution regarding our friend and colleague, Alderman Will
Burns.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, It is with heavy hearts that the Members of this Chamber bid farewell to our friend and colleague, Alderman William D. Burns of the 4lh Ward, who is resigning from the Chicago City Council to take a position in the private sector; and
WHEREAS, Born on August 22, 1973 in Cleveland, Ohio, Alderman Burns graduated from the University of Chicago, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees. Before joining the Chicago Urban League as vice-president of program and field offices, where he coordinated the League's public policy initiatives and spearheaded its voting rights and redistricting efforts, Alderman Burns served as education and tax policy manager for the Metropolitan Planning Council; and
WHEREAS, Alderman Burns' strong commitment to social justice and civic engagement brought him to Springfield, Illinois, where he served as deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to the Illinois Senate President, and worked closely with the Senate Democratic Caucus to develop legislation on a broad slate of issues including minority business development, criminal justice, ethics reform, education, and criminal justice; and
WHEREAS, During these formative years, Alderman Burns also served as deputy campaign manager for Obama for Congress 2000, as campaign coordinator for the Democratic Party of Illinois, as senior advisor and legislative analyst in the Office of the Illinois Senate . Minority Leader, and as a community outreach coordinator for then-State Senator Barack Obama. Later, Alderman Burns served as a consultant to Obama for America 2008, and as deputy political director for Quinn for Illinois 2010; and
WHEREAS, From 2008 to 2011, William Burns represented the 26th District in the Illinois House of Representatives, where he helped to establish the Urban Weatherization Jobs Initiative, the first green jobs program in the United States specifically targeted at low-income urban areas, and actively advocated for strengthened gun control laws and for property tax, procurement and campaign finance reform; and
WHEREAS, In February 2011, William Burns was sworn in as alderman of the 4th Ward. He was re-elected in February of 2015. As alderman, William Burns worked hard to promote economic development, affordable housing, ethics reform, and transparency and openness in government. He co-chaired the working group that recommended a 58% increase to the current Chicago minimum wage, raising it to $13 an hour. He served on the ethics reform task force that rewrote and strengthened Chicago's Ethics Ordinance. He also co-sponsored the Affordable Requirements Ordinance to create new incentives and requirements for developers to build affordable housing in Chicago, as well as the Privatization Transparency and Accountability Ordinance to promote public input and enhanced legislative review of proposed city privatization plans; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure in office, Alderman Burns served as a valuable member of the Committee on the Budget and Government Operations; Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics; Committee on Finance; Committee on Housing and Real Estate; Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety; Committee on Transportation and Public Way; and Committee on Workforce Development and Audit. He also served as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Child Development; and
WHEREAS, Alderman Burns sat on the board of directors of several not-for-profit organizations, including the Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Mikva Challenge, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, Blue Gargoyle Youth Service Center, and the South East Chicago Commission. In 2009, he was selected as an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs; and
WHEREAS, Alderman Burns' unique blend of talent, intellect, sound judgment and cooperative spirit will be sorely missed by his colleagues on the Chicago City Council; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled this tenth day of February, 2016, do hereby extend to Alderman William D. Burns our heartfelt gratitude and thanks for his many years of exceptional service to the people of Chicago, and our best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous future; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Alderman William D. Burns as a token of our appreciation and esteem.