OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
MAYOR
February 23, 2022
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with City Clerk Valencia and Aldermen Sigcho-Lopez, Gardiner, Scott, Nugent, Taylor, Villegas, Moore, Ervin, Tunney, Brookins, Cappleman, Rodriguez, Reboyras, Harris, Sposato, Vasquez, Burnett, O'Shea, Fladden, Dowell, Mitts, Silverstein, Flopkins, Burke, Hairston, King and Martin, a resolution honoring Secretary of State Jesse White on the occasion of his upcoming retirement from public office.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours,
ayor
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, In recognition of his leadership and appreciation of his tireless work improving the lives of all Chicagoans through good governance and youth mentorship, the Members of this Chamber are pleased to congratulate Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, on the occasion of his upcoming retirement; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White was born in Alton, Illinois. After moving to Chicago, he was an all-city baseball and basketball player at Chicago's Waller High School (now Lincoln Park High School); and
WHEREAS, Jesse White earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Alabama State College (now Alabama State University) in 1957, where he was a two-sport athlete earning all-conference honors in baseball and basketball. In May 1995, he was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White served our country as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and as a member of the Illinois National Guard and Reserve; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White played professional baseball with multiple minor league teams affiliated with the Chicago Cubs organization; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White spent 33 years working as a teacher and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, In 1959, Jesse White founded the internationally known Jesse White Tumbling Team to serve as a positive alternative for at-risk children residing in public housing in and around the Chicago area; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White has spent more than 60 years working as a volunteer with the Jesse White Tumbling Team to help kids stay away from gangs, drugs, alcohol and smoking, and to help set at-risk youth on the path to success; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White served 16 years in the Illinois General Assembly, representing the most culturally, economically, and racially diverse district in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White was elected Cook County Recorder of Deeds in 1992 and 1996;
and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Jesse White was first elected Illinois Secretary of State. He would go on to win reelection in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018; and
WHEREAS, On May 30, 2014, Jesse White became the longest serving Secretary of State in Illinois history; and
WHEREAS, As Secretary of State, Jesse White oversees, the largest and most diverse office of its kind in the Nation, providing more direct services to the people of Illinois than any other public agency; and
WHEREAS, Under Jesse White's leadership, the use of new technology along with modernizing and streamlining operations has significantly improved customer service at the Office of the Secretary of State; and
WHEREAS, As a result of Jesse White's initiatives as Secretary of State, traffic fatalities have decreased, with drunk driving deaths down nearly 50 percent and teen driving deaths reduced by 74 percent; and
WHEREAS, Jesse White has announced that he will retire as Secretary of State at the end of his term, but will continue working with his world-famous Jesse White Tumbling Team; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this twenty-third day of February, 2022, do hereby congratulate Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White on the occasion of his retirement; express to him our heartfelt gratitude for his exemplary service to the residents of our great City and the State of Illinois; and extend to him our best wishes for continued health, happiness, prosperity, and success; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White as a sign of our appreciation and esteem.