SR2509LRB099 24301 MST 52047 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of former Illinois State Representative
4Vincent A. "Vince" Persico, who passed away on July 21, 2016;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Representative Persico was born on December 9,
71948 in Oak Park; he earned a bachelor's degree from the
8University of Illinois in 1971 and a master's degree from
9Northern Illinois University in 1986; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Representative Persico instructed young people in
11history and government as a Hadley Junior High School teacher
12for many years until 1988; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Representative Persico was an involved member of
14the Glen Ellyn community; he was a member of the Kiwanis Club,
15the Glenbard West Booster Club, the Hadley Junior High School
16PTA, and many other clubs and groups, and was active in Glen
17Ellyn boys baseball leagues; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Representative Persico began his life of public
19service by joining the boards of directors of Glen Ellyn Family
20Services and the Milton Township Committee on Youth; he also
21became a Trustee for Milton Township, which in the 1980s was a

 

 

SR2509- 2 -LRB099 24301 MST 52047 r

1fast-growing township that was enjoying many challenges and
2opportunities; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Representative Persico chose to run for election
4to the Illinois House of Representatives; he sought the seat
5and lost twice, in 1986 and in 1988, before winning unanimous
6election to the House in November of 1990 without
7general-election opposition; in January of 1991, he took his
8seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, where he would
9serve for 11 years; and
 
10    WHEREAS, As a member of the Republican Party,
11Representative Persico quickly showed an aptitude for
12bipartisan committee work, serving with colleagues from both
13parties on the House Committees on Aging, Environment and
14Energy, Financial Institutions, and Labor; when he began his
15service in the Illinois General Assembly, the State laws
16governing relations between Illinois residents and regulated
17utilities had become suboptimal, especially in the areas of
18electricity and telecommunications; and
 
19    WHEREAS, As a key member of the House Telecommunications
20Rewrite Committee, Representative Persico helped to rewrite
21the Illinois Telecommunications Law; he played a major role in
22opening up Illinois telecommunications services to
23consumer-friendly competition and in moving the law from a

 

 

SR2509- 3 -LRB099 24301 MST 52047 r

1paradigm based on wireline telecommunications toward the
2wireless services of the future; the cell phone shops and
3advertisements that have become ubiquitous features of
4Illinois life are a tribute to the success of his work; and
 
5    WHEREAS, As the selected co-chairperson of the Electric
6Utility Deregulation Committee, Representative Persico played
7a major role in deregulating supplies of Illinois electricity;
8one of the most significant legislative achievements was the
9Illinois Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law
10of 1997; developed with the help of chosen colleagues, the law
11restructured the customer side of the Illinois electric utility
12industry to offer Illinois customers a choice between electric
13suppliers while retaining the right of owners of the "last
14mile" of electric delivery wire to earn a fair return on their
15investments; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In January of 2002, Representative Persico
17retired from the Illinois House of Representatives to join the
18private sector; in the private sector, he remained a familiar
19figure in the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, educating
20lawmakers on a wide variety of issues; and
 
21    WHEREAS, In late 2015, Representative Persico was
22diagnosed with terminal brain cancer; during his final months
23of life, he and his wife, Donna, set an example of courage and

 

 

SR2509- 4 -LRB099 24301 MST 52047 r

1fortitude for the members of the Illinois House of
2Representatives, including his former colleagues; therefore,
3be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we pay tribute to the
6memory of former Illinois State Representative Vincent A.
7"Vince" Persico and his life of courage, hard work, and public
8service; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we express our appreciation for the support
10given to Representative Persico by his wife, Donna, and his
11son, Derek Persico, House Republican Senior Legal Counselor and
12District Office Director in the office of House Republican
13Leader Jim Durkin; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15delivered to the family of Representative Persico as a symbol
16of our sympathy and appreciation for his service to the State
17of Illinois.