HR0779 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0779 LRB099 14432 MST 38532 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate J.D. Flood on the occasion of his retirement and thank him for his many years of service to the Grundy County community; and

WHEREAS, On October 2, 2015, J.D. Flood will officially retire from his position as Grundy County Public Defender, a job he has held for more than 30 years; and

WHEREAS, J.D. Flood was named public defender in April of 1985; during those years of service, he has made a positive difference to the people he has represented; and

WHEREAS, Public defender was not the first role J.D. Flood held in the Grundy County court system; he started out at the opposing table as a member of the State's Attorney's office for 3 and a half years in the late 1970s; and

WHEREAS, In 1980, J.D. Flood decided to leave the State's Attorney's office and join the law firm of Hynds and Rooks; and

WHEREAS, J.D. Flood started to envision what he wanted to do with his career and considered himself much more the lone wolf than a firm lawyer; he decided to start his own law office, which he opened in July of 1983; and

WHEREAS, After opening his own law office, J.D. Flood was offered and accepted the position of Grundy County Public Defender, then a part-time job that involved working only one morning a week as there were not many people in the court system in need of a public defender; and

WHEREAS, As the years passed, the role grew, and after a decade in the office, J.D. Flood found himself working full-time, defending more than 300 felony charges a year; and

WHEREAS, J.D. Flood is retiring the same day he turns 64, but he doesn't plan to leave the courthouse completely; he will stay on to help with the drug court, a specialty court he helped create; and

WHEREAS, The Grundy County Drug Court started late in 2007 with the purpose of helping offenders return to the community as productive members; J.D. Flood considers this initiative one of his proudest involvements; and

WHEREAS, J.D. Flood is a true believer and a moving force in making the drug court work; his heart is always in it and he has invested himself in helping participants turn themselves around; and

WHEREAS, It will be nearly impossible to replace J.D. Flood; he always has compassion for the clients as well as the victims; he serves as an example of a hardworking, passionate, and dedicated member of the Grundy community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank J.D. Flood for his many years of service, congratulate him on the occasion of his retirement, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to J.D. Flood as an expression of our congratulations and appreciation for a job well done.