SALUTE TO BEA REYNA-HICKEY
WHEREAS, Bea Reyna-Hickey, an outstanding public servant and member of her community, is leaving City employment after twenty-seven years of dedicated government service; and
WHEREAS, Bea Reyna-Hickey's parents, Calixto and Bertha Reyna, came to this city of Chicago, for a better life and to achieve their American dream. Calixto Reyna, a migrant worker decided that Chicago was the city he wanted to make his home and to raise a family, so several years prior to his wife's arrival to the states he came to Chicago and made the preparations for their new beginnings. They settled on the northwest side in Humboldt Park, where Ms. Reyna-Hickey was to spend her youth. Bea is one of four sisters and is the oldest out of her siblings; and
WHEREAS, Bea Reyna-Hickey attended Maternity Blessed Virgin Mother school on the Westside and was a graduate of Madonna High School. Bea attended DePaul University where she received a Bachelor's degree and a Master of Science degree in public service management; and
WHEREAS, Bea Reyna-Hickey was united in holy matrimony to her high school sweetheart Pat, and has shared thirty years of wedded bliss. They have three, children, Jackie, who recently graduated from DePaul University; Patrick, a junior at Northwestern who plays for the WildCats, and John, a Junior at Loyola Academy; and
WHEREAS, Bea Reyna-Hickey has held a wide array of positions at the municipal levels of government. She began her career in City government in 1984 as Training Director and Employee Development Specialist in the Department of Housing; and
WHEREAS, In 1986 Bea was promoted to Director of Personnel where she implemented a computerized timekeeping system to improve accuracy and efficiency. Bea's accomplishments soon resulted in another promotion to Director of Personnel and Administrative Services for the Department of Housing. In this position, she
administered employment, payroll and labor relations for a department with 250 employees and a personnel budget of $9.5 million; and
WHEREAS, Bea Reyna-Hickey accepted a position as Director of Administration with the Department of Aviation in 1993. She managed in-house design and construction for terminal and other airport buildings projects, and oversaw a seven million dollar materials inventory for O'Hare Airport. Bea reduced lease costs by overseeing the relocation of Aviation staff, which saved money and centralized Department of Aviation management improving oversight of airport operations; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, Bea Reyna-Hickey was appointed Deputy Director of the payment processing division in the Department of Revenue where she eliminated manual processing by implementing an integrated cashing and revenue reporting system. Bea also opened three community-based payment locations bringing in-person transaction processing and customer service directly into Chicago neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, In April 2000, Bea was appointed Director of Revenue by former Mayor Richard M. Daley. In Bea's tenure as Director of Revenue, she continued her commitment to improving efficiency - this time with the result of significantly growing City revenues. Prior to Bea's appointment, Revenue Department collections were $1.6 billion, growing to $2.2 billion by 2010 under her leadership. Bea Reyna-Hickey's accomplishments as Revenue Director included:
Implementation of IRIS - the Integrated Revenue Information System for taxes, permits and licenses;
Roll-out of wireless handheld devices for licensing investigators;
Implementation of Web based programs for tax filing and on-line tax and parking/red-light ticket payments;
Implementation of CANVAS - the Central Adjudication, Noticing, and Violation Administration System for parking and red-light tickets;
Establishment of ticket payment plans, including a special hardship plan to assist motorists with special economic circumstances;
Installation of Chicago EZ Pay Station locations that perform automated payment processing with instructions in English and Spanish - including sites with 24/7 service;
Implementation of a City-wide cashiering system;
Installation of license plate recognition software on booting enforcement vehicles allowing for re-deployment of staff while simultaneously improving efficiency;
Creation of specialized tax units that increased audit productivity;
Implementation of a multi-agency Website for jointly filing City, State and County property transfer taxes.
WHEREAS, In a time of economic hardships and the need for government to operate more efficiently, Bea Reyna-Hickey's remarkable expertise and institutional knowledge will be sincerely missed. She will be a source of inspiration for the next generation of public servants; and ' '
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WHEREAS, The Honorable Ray Suarez of the 31st Ward, has apprised this August body of Bea Reyna-Hickeys' noteworthy and prolific achievements throughout her unique career; now therefore
Be It Resolved, That we, the Mayor and members of the City of Chicago City Council, assembled here this 6th day of July 2011 A.D., do hereby salute Bea Reyna-Hickey and her lifelong career as a public servant and fully recognize the void she is leaving behind will be most difficult to fill.
Be It Further Resolved, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Bea Reyna-Hickey.
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RAY SUAREZ Alderman-31st Ward