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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING COMMISSIONER LARRY SUFFREDIN
WHEREAS, Commissioner Larry Suffredin will vacate his seat on the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners in the near future after twenty years of service to the residents of Cook County and visitors to the Forest Preserves of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County “to acquire, restore and manage lands for the purpose of protecting and preserving public open space with its natural wonders, significant prairies, forests, wetlands, rivers, streams, and other landscapes with all of its associated wildlife, in a natural state for the education, pleasure and recreation of the public now and in the future”; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County has an over one-hundred-year history, currently spanning almost seventy thousand acres, experiencing over one hundred million visits annually, and contributing immeasurably to the quality of life of residents of Cook County, scientific research and conservation -- including public-private partnerships with the Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Botanic Garden; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Suffredin’s leadership and contributions to the Forest Preserves are immeasurable and have positively impacted present and future generations of Cook County residents. As Chairperson of the Committee on Rules and Administration, he has sponsored or ushered through countless changes to the Forest Preserves Code of Ordinances that positively impact operations or visitor experiences including, but not limited to, requiring children to wear bike helmets, expanding ecological restoration, expanding the role of trained volunteers, encouraging the expansion of the Master Stewart Program, creating the Conservation and Policy Council charged with oversight of the Next Century Conservation Plan, creating an independent Inspector General, and bipartisan Ethics Reform;
WHEREAS, Commissioner Suffredin has also served as Chairperson of the Committee on Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations, and Chairperson of the Committee on the Botanic Garden. Leading these committees and in addition being a member of the Committees on Finance, Litigation, and Real Estate, he was always the voice of reason, always understood his and his colleagues’ responsibilities as Forest Preserves Commissioners - particularly when interests may have diverged from those of County or other units of government - and he always found a path to reasonable consensus through a deep understanding of the issues, considerations of related histories, through insight of law and governmental relations, and deliberate - and often onerous - communication with numerous stakeholders.
WHEREAS, future generations of Cook County residents are in his debt as the lead sponsor and advocate for Resolution 21-0532 placing the November 2022 Forest Preserve Referendum on the ballot for all Cook County voters; and
WHEREAS, he is a lifelong resident of Chicagoland, received a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University and a Law Degree from Georgetown University, and is a highly successful attorney including arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court and Illinois Supreme Court. He served as a Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve. He and his wife, Gloria Callaci, live in Evanston and have two grown children, Tom and Elizabeth.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Toni Preckwinkle, President, and Members of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby extend their sincere and grateful appreciation to Commissioner Larry Suffredin for his exemplary career in public service and on the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners, and their best wishes to him for continued success, happiness, and good health in the years to come; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body, and a suitable copy of same be tendered to Commissioner Larry Suffredin.
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