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 |  | HR0049 |  | LRB099 06728 MST 26802 r |  
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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 Naperville Mayor A.  | 
| 4 |  | George Pradel on the occasion of his retirement; and
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| 5 |  |  WHEREAS, Mayor Pradel took his oath of office as  | 
| 6 |  | Naperville's 40th Mayor on May 1, 1995; he was re-elected in  | 
| 7 |  | 1999, 2003, and in 2007, becoming the only Naperville Mayor to  | 
| 8 |  | be elected to 4 terms; he is currently serving his 5th term;  | 
| 9 |  | and
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| 10 |  |  WHEREAS, Mayor Pradel has guided Naperville through a  | 
| 11 |  | period of significant growth; the city's population places it  | 
| 12 |  | 5th in the State and it has received national and international  | 
| 13 |  | recognition; it is among the top 3 best places to live in the  | 
| 14 |  | Chicago area and is among the best places to retire in the  | 
| 15 |  | United States; it has the lowest crime rate in the country for  | 
| 16 |  | a city its size; it was named as the #1 City in the United  | 
| 17 |  | States to Raise Children in 1997 and received the #2 ranking in  | 
| 18 |  | 1999; in 2013, Naperville was selected by Money Magazine as the  | 
| 19 |  | 3rd best place to live and raise children in the country;  | 
| 20 |  | financially, the city is one of the strongest and has earned a  | 
| 21 |  | dual AAA bond rating since 1995; and
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| 22 |  |  WHEREAS, Mayor Pradel has led the recent relocation and  | 
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| 1 |  | expansion projects that have brought and retained some of the  | 
| 2 |  | country's leading technological and retail businesses,  | 
| 3 |  | providing an outstanding quality of life for its residents; in  | 
| 4 |  | 2004, he received the Chicagoland's Hottest Mayor award from  | 
| 5 |  | Eric and Kathy at 101.FM, The Mix; and
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| 6 |  |  WHEREAS, Mayor Pradel is a participant with numerous  | 
| 7 |  | organizations, including the Naperville Lions Club, the  | 
| 8 |  | Naperville Rotary Club, the American Cancer Society, the  | 
| 9 |  | Illinois Police Association, the DuPage County Police  | 
| 10 |  | Association, the Naperville Marines, the Veterans of Foreign  | 
| 11 |  | Wars, the American Legion, and the Naperville Exchange Club; he  | 
| 12 |  | serves on many boards, including, Police and Fire Pension, the  | 
| 13 |  | North East Multi-Regional Training, DuPage 100 Club, State  | 
| 14 |  | Police Merit, and the Naperville Development Partnership; and
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| 15 |  |  WHEREAS, Mayor Pradel had previously served with the  | 
| 16 |  | Naperville Police Department for 29 years, working his way  | 
| 17 |  | through the ranks from parking enforcement and the juvenile  | 
| 18 |  | division to Sergeant in 1977; he was promoted to Lieutenant in  | 
| 19 |  | 1986; he retired in April of 1995 to assume his position as  | 
| 20 |  | Mayor; while with the department, he was instrumental in  | 
| 21 |  | establishing the bicycle and child safety programs for the city  | 
| 22 |  | and has been known as "Officer Friendly" to 3 generations of  | 
| 23 |  | Naperville students; therefore, be it
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| 1 |  |  RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE  | 
| 2 |  | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we  | 
| 3 |  | congratulate Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel on his  | 
| 4 |  | retirement, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors;  | 
| 5 |  | and be it further
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| 6 |  |  RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be  | 
| 7 |  | presented to Mayor Pradel as an expression of our esteem and  | 
| 8 |  | respect.
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