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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Mark William Eckert on | ||||||
4 | the occasion of his retirement as mayor of the City of | ||||||
5 | Belleville; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert served as alderman for Ward 5 of the | ||||||
7 | City of Belleville from 1997 to 2004; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert was appointed mayor of the City of | ||||||
9 | Belleville on December 20, 2004; he was elected to serve a | ||||||
10 | four-year term in April 2005; he was reelected to a second term | ||||||
11 | in April 2009, a third term in April 2013, and a fourth term in | ||||||
12 | April 2017; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert was instrumental in the improvement | ||||||
14 | of several city buildings, including the Belleville Firehouse | ||||||
15 | #4 in 2009, the Sanitation Department in 2009, the Parks and | ||||||
16 | Recreation building in 2009, the Wastewater Treatment Plant | ||||||
17 | expansion in 2013, the Belleville Public Library renovation in | ||||||
18 | 2015, the new Belleville Police Department dedicated in 2016, | ||||||
19 | and the Belleville City Hall renovations, including ADA and | ||||||
20 | security improvements, in 2017; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert led 30 delegates from the City of |
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1 | Belleville to compete for the National Civic League's | ||||||
2 | All-America City Award in Kansas City in 2011, where | ||||||
3 | Belleville was one of the ten finalists; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert served on a number of local | ||||||
5 | committees and organizations during his tenure, including the | ||||||
6 | Belle-Scott Committee as honorary chairman, the Belleville | ||||||
7 | Sister Cities Organization as honorary chairman, the Board of | ||||||
8 | Directors of the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce, the | ||||||
9 | Lindenwood University Board of Directors, the Belleville | ||||||
10 | Cultural Enrichment Organization as president, the | ||||||
11 | Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission, the | ||||||
12 | Belleville Exchange Club, Racial Harmony, the Homeless | ||||||
13 | Backbone Committee, and the Leadership Council Military | ||||||
14 | Affairs Committee; he also served on the Belleville 200th | ||||||
15 | Committee in 2014, where he worked tirelessly with staff and | ||||||
16 | countless volunteers to organize the Bicentennial Weekend | ||||||
17 | Celebration; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert served in leadership roles in several | ||||||
19 | organizations; he belonged to the Board of Directors of the | ||||||
20 | East-West Gateway Council of Governments from 2013 to 2017; he | ||||||
21 | served on the Illinois Municipal League Board of Directors | ||||||
22 | from 2013 to 2021, where he served as president from 2017 until | ||||||
23 | 2018; he served on the Southwestern Illinois Council of | ||||||
24 | Mayors, where he was president from 2015 to 2017; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert earned many awards in the course of | ||||||
2 | his mayoral career, including the Belleville Jaycees | ||||||
3 | Distinguished Service Award, the Belleville News-Democrat SIUE | ||||||
4 | Carol Kimmel Community Service Award, the Catholic Social | ||||||
5 | Service Award, the Scoutmaster Award of Merit, the George | ||||||
6 | Meany Award, the Belleville Sister Cities Herman Award, the | ||||||
7 | Racial Harmony Outstanding Community Service Award, the NAACP | ||||||
8 | Metro East Branch Partners Justice Award, and the SILEC George | ||||||
9 | A. Lanxon Award; he was also inducted into the BTHS West Hall | ||||||
10 | of Fame in 2009 and honored by the Metro Area Professional | ||||||
11 | Organization in 2012; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert married Rita on April 5, 1986; | ||||||
13 | together, they have four children, Matthew Joseph (Carly | ||||||
14 | Miller), Kate Ann (Jacob Kotler), Luke Joseph (Erika), and | ||||||
15 | Lucy Ann; they also have three grandsons, Jackson, Patrick, | ||||||
16 | and Noah; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Mark Eckert is known for his unconditional love | ||||||
18 | for his family, his strong character, his devout leadership, | ||||||
19 | and his volunteerism; he is a true public servant who built | ||||||
20 | relationships and promoted the vision and growth of the City | ||||||
21 | of Belleville; therefore, be it
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22 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
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1 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
2 | we congratulate Mark William Eckert on the occasion of his | ||||||
3 | retirement as the mayor of the City of Belleville, recognize | ||||||
4 | his commitment to the citizens of Belleville, and wish him | ||||||
5 | many more happy, productive years; and be it further
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6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
7 | presented to Mark Eckert as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
8 | respect.
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