A City Council Resolution Honoring Anthony Simpkins
WHEREAS, After 23 years of service to the City of Chicago, Anthony Simpkins retired in November of 2020; and
WHEREAS, Anthony Simpkins received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Illinois in 1989; and
WHEREAS, He earned his law degree and a Masters in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago in 1994, and began his legal career as a Skadden Foundation fellow, representing renters who were victims of illegal evictions; and
WHEREAS, In 1997 Anthony joined the City of Chicago Law Department. As Senior Counsel, he focused on public safety and quality of life issues through civil litigation; and
WHEREAS, In 2007, Anthony became a Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD), focusing on asset management, intergovernmental affairs, and housing preservation initiatives and economic development policy; and
WHEREAS, As a 2011 Emerging Leader for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, he co-authored a published report on immigration; and
WHEREAS, He is a board member and past-president of the Muslim Bar Association of Chicago, the first association of Muslim lawyers organized in the United States, and a former board member of the Cook County Bar Association, the country's oldest association of African American lawyers; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Anthony was appointed a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County by the Illinois Supreme Court, and served until 2016; and
WHEREAS, Anthony and his wife Tamaria (Tammy), who is an internationally accomplished Jazz vocalist, curator and educator, live on Chicago's Southside and have 4 children; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this twenty-fourth day of February, 2021, do hereby congratulate Anthony Simpkins on the occasion of his retirement from the City of Chicago; applaud him for his many years of exemplary leadership; and commend him for his unwavering dedication and service to the residents of our great City; and
Alderman, 8th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Anthony Simpkins as a token of our appreciation and esteem.