HR1552 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1552 LRB096 24546 KXB 44367 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor our esteemed colleague, State Representative Robert Flider, for his eight years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly and thank him for his many years of dedicated service to the people of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Robert Flider was born on October 22, 1957; grew up in Mattoon, and graduated from Mattoon High School in 1975, where he met his wife, Jean; he graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in journalism in 1979 and spent three years as a reporter in Eastern Illinois, beginning with the Mattoon Journal-Gazette; he later worked for the Central Illinois Public Service Company as a legislative analyst and then joined Illinois Power as a government affairs representative and project manager; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider received a certificate of business administration from the University of Illinois in 1999; attended the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and the EEI Executive Public Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider began his career in public office in 1991 as a member of the Mt. Zion Board of Trustees, a post in which he served for four years; beginning in 1995, he served eight years as mayor of the Village of Mt. Zion, in that time developing a community-wide planning initiative called "Mt. Zion 2000," and a comprehensive plan which led to the construction of Goodwin Park, quality subdivisions, new sidewalks, roads, and bike paths; and while mayor, he also served on the Decatur-Macon County Economic Development Commission and the Macon County Regional Planning Commission; and

WHEREAS, In January 2003, Representative Flider was appointed 101st District State Representative to complete the term of former State Representative Julie Curry, representing all or parts of Macon, Moultrie, and Shelby counties; he was elected State Representative in 2004, and re-elected in 2006 and 2008; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider has always made it a priority to provide outstanding constituent services to the residents of the 101st District; he has fought to secure State funding for crucial community projects and infrastructure improvements across Central Illinois; he loves to work with local officials, business owners, and organizations, labor members and unions to improve our schools, identify new markets for Illinois agricultural products, create and retain jobs, and fight for the rights and a fair wage for working families; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, to honor the service and achievements of the late State Senator Penny Severns of Decatur, Representative Flider passed legislation renaming the portion of Interstate 72 between Decatur and Springfield the Penny Severns Memorial Highway; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider spent his public service career as a consumer advocate and was instrumental in passing a law in 2007 providing $1 billion in rate relief for electric utility consumers in Illinois and creating a new State energy procurement agency to bring down the high cost of energy for customers; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider has worked to strengthen Illinois' schools and provide greater educational opportunities for students; he secured additional funding for local schools while authoring and passing into law the Community Education Act, creating a Statewide community service education program to encourage young students to become more civic oriented; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider recognized the importance of helping businesses remain competitive in Central Illinois and working with local business officials, local chambers of commerce, and elected officials to find ways to stimulate growth in the economy; he passed a law creating the Central Illinois Economic Development Authority to provide resources and expertise for long-term economic development plans in the region; and

WHEREAS, Representative Flider has always been civically-minded and involved, volunteering his time on behalf of a number of community organizations, including the Decatur Rotary and Lions Club; serving on the Board of Directors of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, the United Way of Decatur/Macon County, the Downtown Decatur Council, the Seniorama Committee, the Knights of Columbus, Easter Seals of Central Illinois, and the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross; he has coached youth sports and taught Sunday school at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Mt. Zion; and

WHEREAS, Although he has pursued his public service with great passion, for Representative Flider the most important thing in his life has always been his family; he and his wife, Jean, are the proud parents of three children, Kylee, Lucas, and Caitlyn, and the grandparents of Makenna; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank State Representative Robert Flider for his service to the people of Illinois and wish him much success in all of his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to State Representative Robert Flider as an expression of our respect and esteem.