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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING MARTHA MARTINEZ UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT
WHEREAS, Cook County Chief Administrative Officer Martha Martinez will be retiring from Cook County Government on December 31, 2019 after a storied, accomplished and diverse 34-year career of serving the residents of Cook County, Illinois, as a key government official; and
WHEREAS, throughout her long and illustrious tenure with Cook County, Martha has gained a reputation as a person who is willing to tackle hard challenges, work as a team player, create long-term and sustainable solutions to County issues and to do so with a cheery disposition supported by her determination to always do things right; and
WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of Cook County, Martha Ann Byrnes was born at Jackson Park Hospital on Chicago's South Side. Growing up, Martha was a member of a very active family in the Chicago Fire Department, other government agencies, the Beverly community, St. Barnabas Parish and the 19th Ward Democratic Organization; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Mother McAuley High School, Martha began her own public service career with a summer position in the Treasurer's Office in the summer of 1981; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Northern Illinois University, Martha began her full-time career at Cook County in 1986 as a Training Coordinator in the Department of Personnel. Martha's new role developed her approaches to improving customer service for County residents. It also happened to be where she would meet her future husband Luis Martinez; and
WHEREAS, with the passage of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Cook County turned to Martha to become the County's first Disability Affairs Coordinator in 1990, a position created in the office of Chief Administrative Officer William Doyle; and
WHEREAS, in 1991 under new Chief Administrative Officer Albert Pritchett, Martha would work closely with the wide variety of departments and their directors which comprised...
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