HR0255 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0255 LRB098 11753 MST 44757 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Kenneth H. Kessler, mayor of the Village of Mundelein, as he retires from his position as mayor; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Kessler has given 12 years of service to Mundelein; he served as trustee from 1999-2003 and mayor from 2005-2013; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Kessler has numerous accomplishments to reflect on during his time in office; his administration eliminated the village vehicle stickers and dog tags, made board meetings available on cable tv and the internet, began to accept credit card payments for city services, quieted the automated train horns and established a real railway quiet zone, began the downtown redevelopment project, maintained an increase in funding for residential street repairs, weathered the economic recession with minimal impact to services and property tax bills, and organized the electrical aggregation program helping residents save significantly on their electricity cost; his administration converted the village to a single waste hauler agreement, increased recycling, reestablished the Human Relations Commission, began several community initiatives including the Craft Beer Festival, the Farmer's Market, and Annual Art Festival, adopted a new zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan, and attracted or retained residential and commercial developments; and

WHEREAS, Under Mayor Kessler's administration, the Village of Mundelein has won many awards; most notably they received the 2010 Community Policing Award of the International Chiefs of Police Association for Enhanced Police Response to Victims, the 2009 International Association of Chiefs of Police/Motorola Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement, and the village was the 2008-2009 Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Challenge Winner; the village received the 2008 IACP/Login, Inc., Excellence in Victim Services Award, the 2007 International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Challenge 3rd place Award, the 2006 Ruth H. Rosengarden Victim Service Provider Award, and the 2005 Illinois Park and Recreation Association/Illinois Association of Park Districts/Mundelein Park District Community Service Award; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Kessler's direction for the Village of Mundelein will not end with his departure; he oversaw the hiring of a new village manager, fire chief, police chief, director of public works, and finance director, and the start of a downtown redevelopment project; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Kessler has worked for Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science since 2007; he is an associate professor of psychology and has lived in Mundelein since 1994; he and his wife, Elizabeth, have 2 sons, Christopher and Andrew; he is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Merchant Marine Master and has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Village of Mundelein Mayor Ken Kessler as he retires from his position, thank him for his service to his community, and wish him all the best with his future endeavours; and be it further

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