HR0592

LRB094 13294 HSS 48447 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Deborah M. Preston is retiring from her position 
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as as Moultrie County Circuit Clerk after 16 years in the 
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Clerk's office; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She has been a resident of Moultrie County for 50 
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years; she attended Sullivan Schools and graduated from 
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Sullivan High School and Lake Land College; she is married to 
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Larry Preston, who works as the Vice President of 
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Operations/Assistant Treasurer at Staley Credit Union; she has 
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one son, Andrew Preston, who is a graduate of the University of 
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Illinois; and
 
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    WHEREAS, She started her career in the Circuit Clerk's 
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office as a Deputy Clerk in 1989; in 1991, she was promoted to 
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Chief Deputy and in 1993, she was appointed Circuit Clerk by 
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the Judges of the Sixth Judicial Circuit; in 1994, she was 
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elected Circuit Clerk, and she won re-election in 1996, 2000, 
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and 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During her tenure in the office of the Circuit 
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Clerk, she has worked on several notable projects, including 
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converting a manual bookkeeping system to computer accounting; 
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supervising the upgrade of all data processing equipment; 
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developing and maintaining a multi-user computer network and a 
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functional web page; maintaining a secure multi-user Internet 
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access network; and integrating computer systems of the State 
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Disbursement Unit, Illinois Department of Public Aid, and the 
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Illinois Attorney General with the Circuit Clerk's computer 
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system; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Ms. Preston was instrumental in developing a 
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successful system for collecting fines and fees due to Moultrie 
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County; she participated in the first Child Support Enforcement 
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program in Moultrie County, implemented and managed a Traffic 
 


 






HR0592
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LRB094 13294 HSS 48447 r




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Safety Program, and increased the efficiency, accuracy, and the 
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speed of providing information to participants in the court 
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system; she has often worked with students at the high school 
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and college level; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Without the use of tax dollars, she developed Jury 
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Management software, designed and supervised the installation 
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of a modern archive room for long storage of documents, and 
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created a more efficient work environment by converting office 
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furnishings to modern modular units; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Ms. Preston is a member of the Illinois 
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Association of County Officials and the Illinois Association of 
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Circuit Clerks; she is a past president of the Democratic Women 
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of Moultrie County and was appointed Court Disabilities 
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Coordinator; she is a charter member of the Sullivan Optimist 
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Club and served on the Board of Directors, a past member of the 
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Parents Advisory Committee of the Gifted/Talented Enrichment 
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Program of Sullivan Schools, and a past Board Member of the 
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Moultrie County Mental Health Board; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In her free time, she enjoys quilting, playing 
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piano, writing poetry, reading, traveling, floral arranging, 
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and collecting famous quotations; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we congratulate Deborah M. Preston on the occasion of her 
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retirement as Moultrie County Circuit Clerk; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to her as an expression of our respect and esteem and 
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with best wishes for a relaxing retirement.