Bill Text: IL HR0156 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commends Alderperson Leslie A. Hairston for her work on the Chicago City Council. Thanks her for her years of dedicated service to the people of the 5th Ward and the City of Chicago.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-03-23 - Resolution Adopted [HR0156 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0156-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to commend Alderperson Leslie A. Hairston
on her service to the 5th Ward as a member of the Chicago City
Council; and
WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston is a Chicago native, having grown
up in the communities of 5th Ward's Hyde Park and South Shore;
she is the daughter of Reva Hairston, a Chicago Public Schools
educator for 43 years, and the late Lester Hairston, the owner
of the once popular Avenue Lounge and Chicago's first
African-American owner and operator of a McDonald's
restaurant; she graduated from the University of Wisconsin and
Loyola University School of Law; and
WHEREAS, Prior to being elected, Ald. Hairston worked as
an attorney in private practice; she formerly served as an
Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in
Springfield; she handled litigation as a staff attorney and
special prosecutor for the Illinois Office of the State's
Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, where she argued before the
Illinois Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston has represented the 5th Ward on the
Chicago City Council for 24 years, first being elected in 1999

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and reelected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019; since
taking office, she has been instrumental in spearheading
infrastructure improvements, business development, and
initiatives to enhance 5th Ward residents' safety, security,
and quality of life; and
WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston has accrued several accomplishments
during her tenure, including the $162 million reconstruction
of South Lake Shore Drive, the repair and enhancement of Metra
stations and grounds, renovations to Jackson Park and the
South Shore Cultural Center, improvements to residential and
commercial streets and lighting, the beautification of
business districts, and the opening of new shopping malls and
addition of several local and national retailers, including
K&G Fashion Superstore, Anna's Linens, Staples, Aldi,
Jewel-Osco, Save-A-Lot, and Chicago's first drive-through
Starbucks; and
WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston has additionally been involved with
initiating ordinances, increasing police presence, and the
construction of several buildings, including the Greater Grand
Crossing Library, the Gary Comer Youth Center, the Comer
Children's Hospital, and a Ronald McDonald House in addition
to the preservation of historically significant buildings
through renovation for multiuse; and

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WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston has served as a vice chair on the
Chicago City Council's Committee on Finance and several joint
committees; she has also served as a member of the Committee on
Aviation, the Committee on Budget and Government Operations,
the Committee on Committees and Rules, and several joint
committees; and
WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston has belonged to a several community
organizations and causes, including the South Shore Cultural
Center Advisory Council, the Jackson Park Advisory Council,
the O'Keeffe Area Council, and Friends of the Parks; she is a
past member of the McFarland Mental Health Center with the
Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental
Disabilities and a former beat facilitator for the Chicago
Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS); she currently serves as
a board member of Kaleidoscope, Inc. and is an active member of
the Illinois State Bar Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Ald. Hairston looks forward to starting the next
chapter of her life while remaining active, engaged, and
committed to making her community better; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we commend Alderperson Leslie A. Hairston for her work on the

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Chicago City Council, and we thank her for her years of
dedicated service to the people of the 5th Ward and the City of
Chicago; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Ald. Hairston as an expression of our esteem and
respect.