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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Richard "Rick" Kwasneski | ||||||
| 4 | on the occasion of his retirement after an extraordinary | ||||||
| 5 | career in public service, through which he tirelessly | ||||||
| 6 | dedicated himself to the residents of the State of Illinois; | ||||||
| 7 | and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Born in Joliet and raised in Lemont, Rick | ||||||
| 9 | Kwasneski earned a Bachelor of Science in Business | ||||||
| 10 | Administration from Lewis University in 1981, where he was an | ||||||
| 11 | active member of the Delta Sigma Pi professional business | ||||||
| 12 | fraternity; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Rick Kwasneski began his distinguished career in | ||||||
| 14 | public service with a 16-year tenure serving the Village of | ||||||
| 15 | Lemont, first as a village trustee from 1985 to 1993 and then | ||||||
| 16 | as mayor from 1993 to 2001; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Rick Kwasneski has served as chairman of the Pace | ||||||
| 18 | Suburban Bus Board of Directors since December 7, 2006, making | ||||||
| 19 | him the longest-serving chairman in the agency's history, | ||||||
| 20 | having been reappointed for five consecutive terms by the | ||||||
| 21 | chairs of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties and | ||||||
| 22 | the Suburban Caucus of the Cook County Board; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Under Rick Kwasneski's visionary leadership, Pace | ||||||
| 2 | has become the nation's largest provider of ADA paratransit | ||||||
| 3 | service and has successfully implemented innovative transit | ||||||
| 4 | solutions, including Bus on Shoulder programs, Pulse Rapid | ||||||
| 5 | Transit, and Flex Lane Express Service; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, As chairman, Rick Kwasneski has overseen the | ||||||
| 7 | largest investment in suburban transit infrastructure through | ||||||
| 8 | the Rebuild Illinois program, securing vital funding for | ||||||
| 9 | garages in Plainfield, Elgin, Wheeling, and Bridgeview, as | ||||||
| 10 | well as passenger facilities in Joliet, Schaumburg, and | ||||||
| 11 | Harvey; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Beyond transit, Rick Kwasneski has significantly | ||||||
| 13 | impacted regional economic development as executive director | ||||||
| 14 | of the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority, overseeing the | ||||||
| 15 | transformation of the former arsenal into a premier inland | ||||||
| 16 | port that has generated over $1 billion in private investment; | ||||||
| 17 | and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, Rick Kwasneski's extensive service has included | ||||||
| 19 | roles with the American Public Transit Association (APTA), the | ||||||
| 20 | Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Policy | ||||||
| 21 | Committee, and the Will County Center for Economic | ||||||
| 22 | Development; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Rick Kwasneski remains a devoted family man, | ||||||
| 2 | celebrating over 40 years of marriage to his wife, Renee, with | ||||||
| 3 | whom he raised four children; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 5 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 6 | we congratulate Richard "Rick" Kwasneski on his retirement | ||||||
| 7 | from public service during the summer of 2026, thank him for | ||||||
| 8 | his profound contributions to the infrastructure and economy | ||||||
| 9 | of northeastern Illinois, and wish him the very best in his | ||||||
| 10 | future endeavors; and be it further | ||||||
| 11 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 12 | presented to Rick Kwasneski as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
| 13 | respect. | ||||||