Full Text of HR0407 96th General Assembly
HR0407 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to congratulate Eric T. Ruud on the | 4 |
| occasion of his retirement as First Assistant State's Attorney | 5 |
| in the McLean County State's Attorneys Office in Bloomington; | 6 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud received his Bachelor of Science degree | 8 |
| in Political Science from Illinois State University in 1975; he | 9 |
| then performed post-graduate work in Public Administration at | 10 |
| ISU in 1976; he received his Juris Doctor degree from Southern | 11 |
| Illinois University School of Law in 1980; he attended | 12 |
| Government Civil Practice seminars conducted by the National | 13 |
| College of District Attorneys in 1992, 1993, 1997, and 1999, as | 14 |
| well as a comprehensive National District Attorneys | 15 |
| Association seminar in 2005; he also attended numerous | 16 |
| Continuing Legal Education ethics seminars; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud has been continuously employed as an | 18 |
| Assistant State's Attorney in McLean County since 1981; after | 19 |
| prosecuting traffic and misdemeanor cases from 1981 to 1983, he | 20 |
| was promoted to the Civil Division of the office; from 1983 to | 21 |
| 1988, he served as the sole Civil Assistant State's Attorney; | 22 |
| in 1988, he was promoted to the position of Chief Assistant | 23 |
| State's Attorney, where he supervised one attorney and one |
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| part-time secretary; in 2004, he was promoted to the position | 2 |
| of First Assistant State's Attorney, where he remained until | 3 |
| his retirement; and
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| WHEREAS, During Eric Ruud's tenure with the Civil Division | 5 |
| of the McLean County State's Attorneys Office, he specialized | 6 |
| in the representation of county government, emphasizing on | 7 |
| taxation, contract negotiations, legislation, school law, | 8 |
| zoning, and environmental law; major clients that he has | 9 |
| represented include the McLean County Board, all McLean County | 10 |
| elected and appointed officials, the Regional Board of School | 11 |
| Trustees, the Regional Office of Education, the Tax Board of | 12 |
| Review, the Regional Planning Commission, and the Emergency | 13 |
| Telephone System Board; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud has provided representation in a wide | 15 |
| variety of high profile cases and other proceedings; he | 16 |
| represented 118 local governments in McLean County before the | 17 |
| Circuit Court in a tax objection lawsuit filed by nearly 400 | 18 |
| tax objectors seeking approximately $4 million in damages, a | 19 |
| suit that resulted in the court dismissing over 99% of the | 20 |
| objections; he represented McLean County during multiple | 21 |
| hearings on a multimillion dollar tax assessment appeal filed | 22 |
| by the Mitsubishi Motors manufacturing plant; he represented a | 23 |
| Special Hearing Board convened under the authority of the | 24 |
| Illinois School Code to conduct extensive public hearings on a |
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| proposed merger of Community Unit School District #5 and | 2 |
| Bloomington School District #87; he also represented a | 3 |
| tri-county Regional Board of School Trustees during numerous | 4 |
| hearings in cases involving multiple school dissolutions, | 5 |
| annexations, and detachments; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud represented the McLean County Pollution | 7 |
| Control Site Hearing Committee during its review of and the | 8 |
| public hearing process for three applications seeking site | 9 |
| approval of significant landfill expansions; he represented | 10 |
| the McLean County Board during hearings conducted pursuant to | 11 |
| the Illinois Livestock Management Act for a proposed 3,500 head | 12 |
| dairy facility near Bellflower; he represented the McLean | 13 |
| County Sheriff's Office Merit Commission during several | 14 |
| disciplinary hearings involving charges lodged against police | 15 |
| and correctional officers; he represented or supervised the | 16 |
| representation of the McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals in | 17 |
| numerous special use cases, including wind farms, juvenile | 18 |
| group homes, gravel pits, and wastewater treatment plants; he | 19 |
| also represented McLean County in hearings before the Illinois | 20 |
| Commerce Commission opposing the extension of a crude petroleum | 21 |
| pipeline from Pontiac to Patoka; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud has taught classes on numerous subjects; | 23 |
| he taught Legal Environment of Business and Business Law | 24 |
| classes as an Adjunct Professor in the Insurance, Finance and |
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| Law Department at Illinois State University from January 1989 | 2 |
| through May 1993; he was a guest lecturer for many years in | 3 |
| Political Science and Pre-Law classes at ISU; he has been a | 4 |
| frequent lecturer at training seminars sponsored by the | 5 |
| Illinois Appellate Prosecutors Office and Illinois State's | 6 |
| Attorneys Association; he has also frequently conducted | 7 |
| on-site compliance seminars relating to the Illinois Open | 8 |
| Meetings Act, Illinois Freedom of Information Act, and State | 9 |
| Officials and Employees Ethics Act for numerous boards | 10 |
| representing townships, cities, towns and villages in McLean | 11 |
| County; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud is a member of numerous boards and | 13 |
| organizations, including the Illinois State University | 14 |
| Laboratory Schools Citizens Advisory Board, the Illinois State | 15 |
| University Ambassador Committee for Laboratory Schools | 16 |
| Fundraising Campaign, the Illinois State University Redbird | 17 |
| Club, the University High School Alumni Association, and the | 18 |
| McLean County Bar Association; he is a past member of the | 19 |
| Noah's Ark Pre-School Board of Directors, the Illinois State | 20 |
| University Friends of the Arts, the Town of Normal Community | 21 |
| Relations Committee on Town/Gown Affairs, and the Town of | 22 |
| Normal Human Relations Commission; he has also conducted | 23 |
| several Career Day presentations at local junior high and high | 24 |
| school classes, as well as numerous presentations on behalf of | 25 |
| the McLean County State's Attorneys Office before numerous |
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| community service organizations, including the Kiwanis, | 2 |
| Rotary, Lions, and Exchange Clubs; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud has provided pro bono legal advice to | 4 |
| the Youth Impact Board, the Child Protection Network Board, the | 5 |
| McLean County Crime Detection Board, the United Workforce | 6 |
| Development Board, the Recovery Starts Today Board, the McLean | 7 |
| County Rural Mayors Association, and the McLean County Fire | 8 |
| Chiefs Association; and
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| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud has been the recipient of numerous | 10 |
| awards for his service to his community, including the | 11 |
| Outstanding Service Award from the Illinois Association of | 12 |
| Regional Superintendents of Schools in 2007 and the Alumni | 13 |
| Service Award from the University High School Alumni | 14 |
| Association in 2007; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, Eric Ruud and his wife, Brenda, reside in Normal | 16 |
| with their two children, Chris and Caity; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 18 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 19 |
| congratulate Eric T. Ruud on the occasion of his retirement and | 20 |
| wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it | 21 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 |
| presented to Eric Ruud as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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