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OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
May 6, 2015
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a congratulatory resolution regarding our departing colleague Alderman Mary E. O'Connor.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
ajopudfy Gity Council^f^'^^i
PrrfU.j MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL ^ ; i r MAY 6, 2dl5 j
<\^PJl6fGttS The Members of this Chamber are proud to eongfatuldte our friend and colleague. Alderman Mary O'Connor, on her four years of dedicated and outstanding. \ service to the people of the 4f Ward and the City of Chicago; and .
• ' . WHEREAS, Born in Chicago in 1959, Alderman O'Connor grew up in the 41st Ward. After graduating from Resurrection High School, she earned her bachelor of science degree in business, with an emphasis on nutrition, from Eastern Illinois University. A gifted entrepreneur, Alderman O'Connor is the proud owner of two small businesses, Unforgettable Edibles and O'Connor's Market and Deli, located in Chicago's Edison Park neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, In 2002, Alderman O'Connor was elected president of the Edison Park Chamber of Commerce, where she served for six terms. Under her guiding hand, Edison Park's main business district flourished and is now one the most successful business districts on Chicago's Northwest Side; and
WHEREAS, Since 2008, Alderman O'Connor has served as 41s1 Ward Committeeman of the Cook County Democratic Party; and
WHEREAS, First elected to the Chicago City Council in 2011, Alderman O'Connor was the first female alderman to represent the 41st Ward. The largest geographic ward in Chicago, the 41s* Ward is home to the suburban-like neighborhoods of Norwood Park, Oriole Park, Edison Park, Wildwood and Edgebrook, as well as Chicago O'Hqre International Airport; and
WHEREAS, Convinced that better jobs lead to stronger neighborhoods and are
critical to neighborhood revitalization, Alderman O'Connor understood the importance
of providing businesses with incentives to locate in blighted areas of the City; investing
In job training programs; helping young people who have dropped out of school
receive their high school diplomas; investing in after-school programs for children;
supporting programs that expand access to the Chicago City Colleges; and investing in
neighborhood schools to enable them to keep pace with advancements in technology;
and - , \
WHEREAS, During her tenure in office. Alderman O'Connor worked closely with the Chicago Department .of Planning and Development and["various advocacy/groups to strengthen the City's approach to growing businesses in its communities, and she pioneered several initiatives to make Chicago more business friendly. Alderman O'Connor successfully helped to pass an ordinance to consolidate the City's business licenses; she voted to eliminate the City's head tax; and, as. a ^.member of the Small Business Advisory Council and the Citywide Retail Advisory Committee, she worked closely with Mayor Rahm Emanuel 16 develop strategies to foster small business growth qnd to create a comprehensive citywide plan for economic development. Most recently; Alderman O'Connor introduced an ordinance to ensure that a percentage of jobs created by rion-federally funded projects be awarded to local residents; and /
WHEREAS, Alderman O'Connor strongly believed that the best foundation in the fight against crime is a partnership between the police and the community they serve. A strong supporter of the Chicago Alternative Police Strategy ("CAPS") program. Alderman O'Connor worked ciosely with the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to implement strategies to ensure that colls for service are assigned appropriately and that Communications between dispatchers and local police districts take into account, the area's specific challenges. She regularly held public safety forurns to review crime trends in the 41$t Ward, to give community residents the opportunity to interact directly with local police commanders arid CAPS officers, and to provide local residents with useful safety tips; and
: WHEREAS, Alderman O'Connor consistently fought to reduce the impact oh the surrounding community of aircraft noise at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. She championed the phasing-out of louder, older aircraft at the Airport; Obtaining voluntary compliance with the Airport's Fly Quiet Program encouraging the use of designated preferential runways and flight tracks to route aircraft over the least-populated areas of the City during nighttime hours; and expanding the use of noise abatement flight procedures at the Airport to further reduce the impact 6
WHEREAS, Alderman O'Connor has served with distinction on many Chicago City Council committees, including, most recently, as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Aviation; and as a member of the Committee on the Budget and Government Operations; Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics; Committee oh Education and Child Development; Committee on Housing and Real Estate; Committee on License and Consumer Protection; Committee on Public Safety; and Committee on Transportation and Public Way; now, therefore.
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City
pf Chicago, assembled this sixth day of May, 2015, do hereby extend to Alderman Mary
O'Connor our heartfelt gratitude and thanks for her many years of exceptional service
to the people of Chicago, and our best wishes for continued success in all of her future ';
endeavors; and ."
f BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Alderman Mary O'Connor as a token of our appreciation and esteem.