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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois | ||||||
3 | learned with deep sorrow and regret of the death of our friend | ||||||
4 | and colleague, Illinois State Representative Esther Golar of | ||||||
5 | Chicago, on September 21, 2015; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar was born in Chicago on April | ||||||
7 | 16, 1944; she was one of 9 children; a lifelong resident of | ||||||
8 | Chicago's South Side, she grew up in the West Englewood | ||||||
9 | neighborhood, graduated from Malcolm X College, and resided in | ||||||
10 | Englewood; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar made her mark as a dedicated | ||||||
12 | public servant and community leader, building local | ||||||
13 | organizations, advocating for greater public safety, and | ||||||
14 | fighting for those who struggle; she was a coordinator for the | ||||||
15 | Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy for more than 15 years, | ||||||
16 | training residents to build friendlier and safer communities; | ||||||
17 | she was a community service representative at Robert Fulton | ||||||
18 | School and a resident board member of Neighborhood Housing | ||||||
19 | Services of Chicago, Inc.; strong in faith, she attended and | ||||||
20 | volunteered at Trinity United Church of Christ; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar worked for the Chicago | ||||||
22 | Police Department on Chicago's South and West Sides in the |
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1 | Troubled Buildings Unit and as a Community Policing | ||||||
2 | Coordinator; as a testament to her selflessness and loyalty, | ||||||
3 | though she began her service with the police department on | ||||||
4 | Chicago's South Side, after she was transferred to the West | ||||||
5 | Side, she continued to help her coworkers on the South Side; | ||||||
6 | and
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7 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar joined the Illinois House of | ||||||
8 | Representatives in 2005; committed to constituent service, | ||||||
9 | Representative Golar's constituents would often stop her at the | ||||||
10 | grocery store, the pharmacy, and throughout the community | ||||||
11 | asking for assistance; she did her best to help with everything | ||||||
12 | from street sweeping and street lighting to enforcing child | ||||||
13 | support payments; she regularly attended events in the | ||||||
14 | community, such as the Englewood Back-to-School Parade and the | ||||||
15 | Resident Association of Greater Englewood's "So Fresh | ||||||
16 | Saturdays" series, visited and met with constituents, and | ||||||
17 | worked to build bridges and strengthen relationships for the | ||||||
18 | betterment of local neighborhoods; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar's legislative | ||||||
20 | responsibilities were a reflection of her priorities and her | ||||||
21 | determination to improve the lives of not only her constituents | ||||||
22 | but all Illinois residents; she fought for safer neighborhoods, | ||||||
23 | stronger schools, and additional educational resources for | ||||||
24 | children, equal access to health care and economic development |
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1 | for seniors and persons with disabilities, better wages, and a | ||||||
2 | better standard of living for the middle class and struggling | ||||||
3 | families; one of the first laws she passed was aimed at | ||||||
4 | increasing State payments to vendors of homemaker, chore, and | ||||||
5 | housekeeping services for the purpose of increasing employees' | ||||||
6 | wages and providing health insurance; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Throughout her nearly 10 years in the House of | ||||||
8 | Representatives, Representative Golar served as House | ||||||
9 | Chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus, Chair of the | ||||||
10 | Elementary and Secondary Education: School Curriculum and | ||||||
11 | Policies Committee, Chair of the Public Policy and | ||||||
12 | Accountability for Education Committee, and Chair and | ||||||
13 | Vice-Chair of the Housing and Disability Services Committees; | ||||||
14 | her committee membership included service on the Elementary and | ||||||
15 | Secondary Education, Child Support Enforcement, Health Care | ||||||
16 | Availability and Accessibility, Human Services Appropriations, | ||||||
17 | Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations, and | ||||||
18 | Judiciary-Criminal Law Committees; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar's legislative achievements | ||||||
20 | include the Senator Penny Severns Memorial Award for her | ||||||
21 | advocacy for persons with disabilities, the Back of the Yards | ||||||
22 | Neighborhood Leadership Award, and the Safer Foundation's | ||||||
23 | CARRE Visionary Award for her outstanding contributions to | ||||||
24 | eliminate barriers to employment for people with criminal |
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1 | records; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Representative Golar was adored and respected by | ||||||
3 | her friends and colleagues and will be remembered for her | ||||||
4 | resolve, commitment to public service, devotion to faith, | ||||||
5 | kindness, and sense of humor and for bringing levity to | ||||||
6 | sometimes tense moments with her gift of song; her quiet nature | ||||||
7 | and friendly demeanor were a reflection of her warm | ||||||
8 | personality, but she never hesitated to rise and fight for the | ||||||
9 | disadvantaged, the most vulnerable, and those who struggle; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Esther Golar was a loving sister, the proud mother | ||||||
11 | of Tiffany Golar, and the devoted grandmother of Briana Golar, | ||||||
12 | Toni Common, Ananea Common, and Jayden Golar; and | ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, The death of Representative Esther Golar is deeply | ||||||
14 | felt by her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; | ||||||
15 | her presence at the State Capitol will be greatly missed; | ||||||
16 | therefore, be it
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17 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | ||||||
18 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with her | ||||||
19 | family and friends, mourn the passing of Illinois State | ||||||
20 | Representative Esther Golar; and be it further
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21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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1 | presented to the family of Esther Golar as an expression of our | ||||||
2 | deepest sympathies and respect.
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