RICHARD M. DALEY
MAYOR
CONS
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
May 4, 201
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution regarding our departing friend and colleague, Alderman
Smith.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber are proud to congratulate our friend and colleague Alderman Mary Ann Smith on her retirement from the City Council after twenty-two years of outstanding and dedicated service to the people ofthe 48th Ward and the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Alderman Smith has served the Chicago City Council with honor and distinction as the Chairman of the Committee on Parks and Recreation, and as a member of the Committees on Budget and Government Operations; Buildings; Committees, Rules and Ethics; Finance; Historical Landmark Preservation; License and Consumer Protection; and Traffic Control and Safety; and
WHEREAS, A member of the Mayoral Task Forces on Lake Michigan and on Transportation, Alderman Smith has served as a member ofthe City's Advisory Council on Chicago "Green" development and as a commissioner.of both the Northeastern Illinois Plan Commission and the Chicago Plan Commission; and
WHEREAS, A diligent legislator and prominent leader, Alderman Smith has sponsored and co-sponsored several ordinances and initiatives addressing such wide-ranging issues as public safety, community-directed development, transit and walkability, lakefront planning, health care, senior citizens-related concerns, affordable housing, and public sector accountability; and
WHEREAS, An early supporter ofthe Human Rights Ordinance, Alderman Smith interacted closely with advocacy groups to protect the rights of all people, including serving as the vice-chair ofthe Illinois Citizens for Better Care, a group which advocates for nursing home residents' rights, and founding the Committee Against Nursing Home Election Fraud; and
WHEREAS, A proud Alderman of one ofthe City's most diverse wards, Alderman Smith has actively worked to integrate immigrant groups into the mainstream business, financial and social structure of the community; and
WHEREAS, Alderman Smith has secured millions of dollars in funding for extensive capital improvement projects in the 48th Ward, including funds for expansion of educational facilities, adding new and expanded parks, and pioneering alternative energy and flood control technologies; and
WHEREAS, Alderman Smith has tirelessly and vigorously advocated for the preservation of historic landmarks throughout the 48th Ward, including spearheading the designation of Bryn Mawr, Uptown Square and Lakewood Balmoral as National Register Historic Districts, and appearing in the documentary, Uptown: Portrait of a Palace, a film about Chicago's historic Uptown Theatre; and
WHEREAS, Widely admired for her active role and initiatives to protect the environment, particularly Chicago's lakefront, Alderman Smith has represented the City of Chicago on the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives, and she formerly served as the vice-chair of the City Council's Subcommittee on the Chicago Lakefront, as a vice-chair ofthe Lake Michigan Federation (now the Alliance for the Great Lakes), and as a founding member of PCB's Gone; and
WHEREAS, A highly respected elected official and champion ofthe environment, Alderman Smith is a recipient of the United Nations Environment Programme Award for Citizen Action to Protect the Global Environment, a fellowship to study urban planning in several European cities from the United States/German Marshall, a Chicago Civic Federation award, and a Soles and Spokes award from the Chicago Area Transportation Study; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this fourth day of May, 2011, do hereby commend Alderman Mary Ann Smith for her many years of excellent service as the Alderman of the 48th Ward ofthe City of Chicago and as the Chairman of the City Council Committee on Parks and Recreation, and extend to her our best wishes for continued success and fulfilment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Alderman Mary Ann Smith as a sign of our appreciation and esteem.