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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING MAYOR JOHN A. OSTENBURG FOR HIS WORK AND DEDICATION TO THE COOK COUNTY LAND BANK AUTHORITY AS A LONGSTANDING BOARD MEMBER
WHEREAS, Mayor John A. Ostenburg joined the Cook County Land Bank Board of Directors in 2013. He served as Secretary of the Board as well as a member of the Finance Committee. He also served on the Cook County Land Bank Authority Land Transactions Committee until 2018; and,
WHEREAS, Mayor John A. Ostenburg served as Mayor of Park Forest for 5 terms (20 years) starting in 1999 following seven years as a trustee and two years as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives; and,
WHEREAS, Mayor John A. Ostenburg of Park Forest served as chairperson for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. Mayor Ostenburg is a former president of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) and has served on the SSMMA Executive Committee for several years. He is chairperson for the Chicago Southland Housing & Community Development Collaborative, which is a subset of the SSMMA; and,
WHEREAS, on the national level, Mayor Ostenburg has been a long-time member of the Community & Economic Development Committee of the National League of Cities (NLC) and serves on the NLC First-Tier Suburbs Council; and,
WHEREAS, in 2015 he was named to the then 40-member NLC’s Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) Council and served as a representative of suburban municipalities. When the REAL Council was incorporated into the formal structure of the NLC in 2017, he was named as co-chair and continues to serve in that post; and,
WHEREAS, in 2011, under his leadership as mayor, Park Forest was one of three south suburban municipalities that created the South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority (SSLDA). The SSLDA now has over 20 municipal members; and,
WHEREAS, upon retirement, Mayor Ostenburg is writing a book relating to housing and racial equity.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners honor Mayor John A. Ostenburg for his work and dedication to the Cook County Land Bank Authority as a longstanding board member.
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