HR0148 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0148 LRB098 11306 MST 42608 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Dr. Irene H. Brodie, mayor of the Village of Robbins, as as retires after 24 years; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Brodie is the current, longest-serving, female, African-American mayor in the nation; her reign as mayor saw improvements in the water and sewer systems, roads and transportation, code enforcement, economic development, grant procurement, land acquisition, residential development, and public safety; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Brodie's 36-year tenure in government consists of 12 years as municipal clerk for the Village of Robbins and 24 years as the mayor; she is a longtime educator and administrator, having taught in school districts 143 1/2 and 218 and achieving the position of dean at Moraine Valley Community College; she spent 32 years of service to Moraine Valley and upon her retirement a section of Building-B was named the "Dr. Irene H. Brodie Academic Skills Center"; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Brodie's most noteworthy accomplishment is her scholarship program; it has funded the tuition costs for hundreds of students throughout the years and her individual efforts have produced teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, and educators around the globe; she has hired, financially supported, tutored, counseled, and graduated hundreds of residents from Robbins and the surrounding communities; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Brodie has a history of service in many areas; she was the vice-president of the Illinois Municipal League, executive board member and assistant secretary of the National Conference of Black Mayors, and the chair of the Education Committee and Scholarship Committee for the National Conference of Black Mayors; she has been appointed to numerous gubernatorial transition teams and has been on various State and federal advisory boards; she was a member of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus under Mayor Richard Daley, served on President Clinton's environmental think-tank group, and was a guest lecturer at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Brodie is married to J. Edmon Brodie and they have one child, Jeraye E. Brodie; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Mayor Irene Brodie as she retires as mayor of Robbins, thank her for her years of service to the community, and wish her well in all her future endeavours; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Irene Brodie as an expression of our esteem and respect.