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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN MEMORIAM OF FORMER SCHAUMBURG MAYOR AL LARSON
WHEREAS, Former Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson served as a visionary leader who guided the community for more than four decades as it grew into the second largest economic hub in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Larson got his start in public service when he wrote a letter to complain about snowplowing during his young family's first winter in the Village in 1969-70, which elicited a call from then-Schaumburg Mayor Bob Atcher, prompting Larson to understand the impact he could have on his community; and
WHEREAS, Larson soon after became a member of Atcher's Schaumburg United Party, the Schaumburg Jaycees, and the Schaumburg Environmental Committee, and was also appointed the Village's public relations director; and
WHEREAS, he was then elected as Trustee in 1975 where he served three terms until 1987; and
WHEREAS, Larson eventually evolved into an independent voice on the Village Board after losing a re-nomination bid in 1983, when he then ran as an independent and became the first independent elected to the Village Board; and
WHEREAS, as part of his early initiatives as trustee, Larson helped champion funding for street lighting all across the Village through the use of simple $3 vehicle sticker fees; and
WHEREAS, when former Mayor Herb Aigner announced he would not seek reelection in 1987, Larson ran against the local party candidate and won decisively; and
WHEREAS, Larson then went on to serve as Mayor for an astounding 32 years over the course of eight terms; and
WHEREAS, in his time as Mayor, Larson championed support for many of the big projects that Schaumburg is known for including a publicly owned baseball stadium - now known as Wintrust Field, the convention center, and the Village's purchase of the Schaumburg Airport to prevent it from being turned into an industrial park; and
WHEREAS, Larson worked to use his influence for the betterment of Schaumburg th...
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