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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate their former colleague,
4State Representative Marguerite "Margo" McDermed, on her
5career in this body serving the people of the 37th District
6honorably and with pride; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Representative McDermed is a lifelong Illinoisan,
8raised in LaGrange, earning her law degree from DePaul
9University, and settling with her family in Mokena; she worked
10tirelessly in Chicago for 30 years as a lawyer, and as the
11daughter of parents active in civic affairs, she has always
12been active in the community and civic minded, and the people
13of Will County have benefited from her leadership for years;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Wanting to give back, Representative McDermed
16began her career in public service at the local level, serving
17as Township Collector before becoming a Trustee on the
18Frankfort Township Board; in 2009, she was elected as Frankfort
19Township Clerk, where she introduced early voting in the
20township for all registered voters and organized over 125 years
21of township records into a cohesive and accessible system at no
22expense to taxpayers before finally serving as a member of the
23Will County Board after her election in 2012; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Representative McDermed was first elected to the
2Statehouse in November 2014 but took office during the lame
3duck session of the 98th General Assembly in January 2015;
4during her tenure, she served as the minority spokesperson on
5the Judiciary - Civil Committee, Transportation: Regulation,
6Roads & Bridges Committee, and Economic Justice & Equity
7Committee and as a member of the Illinois Sentencing Policy
8Advisory Council; and
 
9    WHEREAS, As a dedicated public servant committed to
10respecting the trust of the taxpayers, Representative McDermed
11took no pension, took no state health benefits, consistently
12voted to freeze or reduce property taxes, voted no on all
13income tax increases, and never voted for an unbalanced budget;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, During her time in the House, Representative
16McDermed worked on commonsense, good government legislation,
17producing ethics laws like forbidding the use of
18confidentiality clauses in settlements or severance agreements
19involving taxpayer money; she was a major driving force behind
20the statewide Sexual Assault Tracking System and the first
21major capital and infrastructure package in a decade; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Representative McDermed always voted her

 

 

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1conscience and her constituency and was consequently
2recognized every year in office by the Illinois Chamber of
3Commerce and the Illinois Farm Bureau for her unwavering
4support of small businesses and farmers; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Thousands of 37th District residents benefited
6from Representative McDermed's services and events, including
7numerous self-defense classes, citizenship workshops, blood
8drives, free shredding services, senior driving seminars, and
9diaper drives; she was consistently engaged with her
10constituents; and
 
11    WHEREAS, While we will miss Representative McDermed's
12impassioned and steadfast presence in this chamber, after 30
13years in private business and 15 years in public service, she
14is ready to enjoy a well-earned retirement, traveling the
15world, including visiting family living in Japan, quilting, and
16spending time with her grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
18HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we commend State Representative Marguerite "Margo" McDermed on
20her lifelong career and service to the State of Illinois and
21wish her nothing but the best in her retirement; and be it
22further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to Representative McDermed as a symbol of our
3appreciation and respect for our former colleague and cherished
4friend.