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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COMMEMORATING THE LIFE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE DAVID FAGUS
WHEREAS, David Fagus lived a life dedicated to public service. He dutifully served the medically uninsured and underinsured for more than 20 years, working under five administrations in the Cook County Health and Hospital System; and
WHEREAS, David Fagus passed away suddenly on December 24, 2014; and
WHEREAS, David Fagus was the Director of Administration for both the Fantus Clinic and Cermak Health Services of the Cook County Health and Hospital System; and
WHEREAS, in his administrative role at the Cook County Health and Hospital System he developed systems that modernized the delivery of medicine to hundreds of thousand Cook County Residents; and
WHEREAS, after leaving Cook County, David Fagus went to work with Governor Pat Quinn where he helped build the Illinois Health Information Exchange, an innovative tool for handling electronic medical records; and
WHEREAS, David Fagus’ work on the Illinois Health Information Exchange made possible the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act; and
WHEREAS, David Fagus was a lifelong resident of Edgewater and Rogers Park. He attended Sacred Heart Academy and graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1980. He went on to earn his B.A. in political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield and his Master's degree in Public Administration at Roosevelt University; and
WHEREAS, in 1993, David Fagus was offered the position of 49th Ward Democratic Committeeman by retiring Committeeman Lee Preston. As Committeeman for over two decades, he was a strong supporter of diversity and worked to make sure that the organization became truly reflective of the diversity of the ward. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party of the 49th Ward became the first Democratic Ward organization in the City to allow its members to determine which candidates for office to endorse rather than letting the party leaders control the process; and
WHEREAS, in 2004 David Fagus was one of the earliest supporters of Barack Obama for the United States Senate and was the first north side committeeman to endorse him. He helped forge a statewide coalition that elected Barack Obama to the United States Senate; and
WHEREAS, in 2008 David Fagus was one of the earliest organizers of hundreds of citizens in Illinois to travel to Iowa to campaign for Senator Obama’s nomination for the Presidency; and
WHEREAS, in 2008 and 2012 David Fagus successfully organized field operations for Barack Obama in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa and was a major factor in Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States; and
WHEREAS, David Fagus also devoted a good portion of his time to community activities, serving as a member, board member, contributor or volunteer in countless projects, committees and organizations. Organizations such as the Participatory Budgeting Project, the 49th Ward Zoning and Land Use Advisory Committee, the Rogers Park Business Alliance, the Rogers Park Section 8 Tenants Council and the Morse Avenue Redevelopment Task Force benefited greatly from his hard work and insights; and
WHEREAS, David Fagus is survived by his beloved mother, Dorothy, and brother, Mark, as well as a niece, Sarah, and a nephew, Matthew; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Commissioners of Cook County that the Board on behalf of the nearly the 5.2 million residents of Cook County takes great pleasure in commemorating the life of David Fagus, and herewith expresses its sincere gratitude for the invaluable contributions he has made to the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois; and does hereby offer its deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the coworkers, family, and many friends of David Fagus and joins them in sorrow at the sudden loss of this remarkable and accomplished civil servant and community leader; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and a suitable copy of same be tendered to the family of David Fagus, that his memory may be so honored.end