Full Text of HR1320 98th General Assembly
HR1320 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Willard R. | 4 | | Helander on the occasion of her retirement as Lake County Clerk | 5 | | on November 30, 2014 after 20 years of dedicated service; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Willard Helander graduated with honors, earning a | 7 | | Bachelor's Degree in 1974 from the University of Mississippi; | 8 | | she subsequently earned a Juris Doctor from the University of | 9 | | Tennessee College of Law in 1977 and was initiated into the | 10 | | public sector in 1977, when she held a judicial clerkship for | 11 | | the Tennessee Civil Court of Appeals; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, After moving to Illinois, working in the trust and | 13 | | probate field, and raising her 3 children, Willard Helander | 14 | | returned to the public sector in 1992 and became the founding | 15 | | Executive Director of the Transportation Management | 16 | | Association of Central Lake County, where she served with | 17 | | distinction until seeking public office; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Willard Helander was first elected as the Lake | 19 | | County Clerk in 1994; during her tenure, she continually | 20 | | challenged herself and her staff to provide superior customer | 21 | | service; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Willard Helander oversaw the implementation of | 2 | | technology and automation in the Clerk's Office, including | 3 | | optical scan voting, an expansion of voting options for people | 4 | | with disabilities, early voting, and the piloting of the first | 5 | | internet reporting of election results in the State of | 6 | | Illinois, one of only 2 counties in the State to do so in 1996; | 7 | | and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Due to Willard Helander's pioneering leadership | 9 | | in the technological field, the Lake County Clerk's Office | 10 | | received the "Most Innovative Technology" award through the | 11 | | International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Elected | 12 | | Officials, and Treasurers in recognition of the County's | 13 | | internally-created geographic information system software, | 14 | | which was used during the millennial census for redistricting | 15 | | purposes and resulted in a savings of $500,000 to taxpayers; | 16 | | and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Willard Helander is highly regarded in her field | 18 | | and is a member of multiple professional associations, | 19 | | including the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, | 20 | | Elected Officials, and Treasurers, the Illinois Association of | 21 | | County Clerks and Recorders, and the Joint Elected Officials | 22 | | Liaison Committee; she is also a member of the Illinois State | 23 | | Bar Association and is a past member of the State Board of | 24 | | Elections Advisory Committee; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Willard Helander has been a vocal proponent of | 2 | | maintaining accuracy, fairness, and integrity in the election | 3 | | process; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, In addition to her commitment as a public servant, | 5 | | Willard Helander is an active participant in her community and | 6 | | serves on the boards of many civic organizations, including | 7 | | MainStreet Libertyville, Inc., the Boys and Girls Club of Lake | 8 | | County, Community Action Partnership, the Salvation Army Adult | 9 | | Rehabilitation Center, Youth and Family Counseling, and the | 10 | | Daughters of the American Revolution; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 13 | | we congratulate Willard R. Helander on the occasion of her | 14 | | retirement and wish her continued success and happiness in the | 15 | | future; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to Willard Helander as a symbol of our esteem and | 18 | | respect.
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