HR1103 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1103 LRB100 22096 ALS 40384 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Bruce Clark on the occasion of his retirement as Kankakee County Clerk after 32 years of service; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Clark began his career as Kankakee County Clerk in December 1985 and went on to win eight consecutive elections over a period of three decades; at the time of his retirement, he was the most senior county clerk in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Throughout Bruce Clark's tenure, he administered over 60 elections in his jurisdiction and participated in the observation, assistance, and supervision of elections in the following countries: Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, England, and the Dominican Republic; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Clark has served Illinois on many committees, including the Illinois State Board of Elections Advisory Committee, as President of the Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders (IACCR), and as a member of the Illinois Government and Public Affairs Task Force on Political Representation and Alternative Electoral Systems; and

WHEREAS, In 2010 and 2017, Bruce Clark was recognized for promoting voting assistance for people with disabilities by the Options Center for Independent Living; in 2015, he received the Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders Award and was named the Illinois County Official of the Year by the Illinois Association of County Officials (IACO); and in 2018, he was selected as Citizen of the Year and awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service by The Daily Journal, a newspaper published in Kankakee, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Clark's accomplishments and abilities have been recognized nationally and internationally through his publications of "Best Practices" papers by The Election Center, a not-for-profit organization that promotes, preserves, and improves democracy; in 2015, he received the First Time Voter Project Award from the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) at its Ninth Annual Symposium in South Africa; during his election work, he has also served many international organizations, including the National Democratic Institute, the Carter Center, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and

WHEREAS, Bruce Clark has served on the boards of various community organizations, such as the Kiwanis Club, St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School, the United Way, the Helen Wheeler Center, and the Kankakee County Public Building Commission; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Clark received his degree in political science from the University of Kentucky; he resides in Bourbonnais with his wife and three children, of whom he is very proud; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Bruce Clark on his retirement from the Kankakee County Clerk's Office, and we thank him and deeply admire his many years of public service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Bruce Clark as an expression of our esteem and respect.