HR0157LRB103 31412 ECR 59066 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to commend Alderperson Tom Tunney on his
4service to the 44th Ward as a member of the Chicago City
5Council; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney was born and raised on the South Side
7of Chicago; he obtained his undergraduate degree in Restaurant
8Management from the University of Illinois and his master's
9degree in Hotel Management from Cornell University; he
10returned to Chicago in 1980, settling in the Lakeview
11neighborhood, where he has been a resident for over 30 years;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney took over the Ann Sather Restaurant
14in 1981; during his ownership, he has successfully expanded
15the business into a chain through the addition of two
16restaurants and Ann Sather Corporate and Special Event
17Catering; he continues to serve the community through his
18business, allowing local groups the use of his restaurants for
19meetings and forums; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney was first elected to represent the
2144th Ward on the Chicago City Council in 2003, becoming
22Chicago's first openly gay alderperson; he was thereafter

 

 

HR0157- 2 -LRB103 31412 ECR 59066 r

1reelected in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019, and he was elected
2vice mayor of Chicago in 2019; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Since taking office, Ald. Tunney has been
4committed to maintaining, upgrading, and ensuring proper
5restoration of all public infrastructure throughout the 44th
6Ward; he has invested over seven million dollars in upgrading
7street lighting, accounting for nearly half of the 44th Ward's
8annual infrastructure funding; he has also invested in
9upgrading outdated traffic and pedestrian signals, installing
10new traffic signals and pedestrian signage, and improving bike
11and pedestrian infrastructure; further, he has worked with the
12Department of Transportation to establish full street asphalt
13restoration of streets after large-scale water, sewer, gas,
14and communications upgrades; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney has additionally been invested in
16public safety, development, schools, and the quality of life
17in the 44th Ward; he has fought to maintain and increase the
18number of officers upon the merger of the Chicago Police
19Department's 19th and 23rd Districts; he has worked to bring
20in new food outlets, including Mariano's, Whole Foods, and
21Target, in addition to securing Transit-Oriented Developments
22(TODs) to reduce vehicular congestion; he has expanded the
23number of affordable housing units to more than 800 units and
24secured a $7 million grant for the renovation of the Merlo

 

 

HR0157- 3 -LRB103 31412 ECR 59066 r

1Chicago Public Library branch; he has regularly attended local
2school events and was instrumental in securing funding for
3Harriet Tubman Elementary School, Blaine Elementary School,
4and Lake View High School; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney has served as an advocate for
6Chicago's LGBTQ+ community, including obtaining funding for
7the LGBTQ+ senior center at Halsted and Addison, the Town Hall
8LGBTQ+ senior housing projects, and for AIDS and LGBTQ+
9support services; he has helped build the Boystown area,
10supported Chicago's massive Pride Parade and related events,
11and pushed for the creation of the AIDS Garden, which opened in
12June 2022; and
 
13    WHEREAS, During his last term, Ald. Tunney has enhanced
14the safety of the community by working with the Chicago Police
15Department to create the Lakeview Entertainment Detail,
16responded to community requests for more parks by building
17three new playgrounds, and secured additional affordable
18housing for his constituents; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney has served as chair of the Chicago
20City Council's LGBTQ+ Caucus and as chairman of the Committee
21on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, the Special
22Committee on the Chicago Casino, and several joint committees;
23he has also served as a member of the Committee on Budget and

 

 

HR0157- 4 -LRB103 31412 ECR 59066 r

1Government Operations, the Committee on Committees and Rules,
2the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development,
3the Committee on Finance, the Committee on License and
4Consumer Protection, the Committee on Public Safety, the
5Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation,
6the Committee on Workforce Development, and several joint
7committees; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney has been actively involved in his
9community in several organizations, including serving as
10chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association, founder and
11former president of the Lakeview Center Business Association,
12and as a founding board member and former chairman of the White
13Crane Senior Center; he was one of the first volunteers of the
14Open Hand Chicago program, which provided home delivery of hot
15meals to AIDS patients, opening his restaurant to help with
16the preparation and distribution of meals; he established
17Restaurant Nights at the Illinois Masonic Hospital to serve
18meals to AIDS patients and their families; he was also the
19former fundraising chair for IMPACT, a gay and lesbian
20political action organization; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Ald. Tunney has expressed plans to continue
22serving as an advocate for the business community in his
23retirement; therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR0157- 5 -LRB103 31412 ECR 59066 r

1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we commend Alderperson Tom Tunney for his work on the Chicago
4City Council, and we thank him for his years of dedicated
5service to the people of the 44th Ward and the City of Chicago;
6and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Ald. Tunney as a symbol of our esteem and respect.