RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 21, 2024
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RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners honoring Commissioner Mariyana T. Spyropoulos for her years of dedication and service to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (As Revised)
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WHEREAS, the Honorable Mariyana T. Spyropoulos was appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in 2009 and was elected in 2010, 2016, and 2022; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Spyropoulos served as the District’s Chairman of Finance from 2013 to 2015 and President of the Board of Commissioners from 2015 to 2019; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Spyropoulos was appointed as a Trustee of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Retirement Board in January 2013 and faithfully served members of the Retirement Fund until 2024; and
WHEREAS, as the proud daughter of immigrants, Commissioner Spyropoulos earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois at Chicago Law School and her Masters in Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago; and
WHEREAS, during her service to the District, Commissioner Spyropoulos championed fiscal responsibility, transparency and an environmentally progressive policy for the District and ensured efforts to bring transparency to the District by introducing an Inspector General, broadcasting Board meetings and developing an app for residents to report water pollution; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Spyropoulos has earned many awards for her lifelong commitment to public service, including the 2017 Illinois Water Environment Association Public Service Award, the 2021 Public Officials Award from the Water Environment Federation and the 2022 Alumni Public Service Award from the University of Illinois at Chicago Law School; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Spyropoulos has championed many environmental policies at the District, including but not limited to: disinfection of the effluent discharge from District Water Reclamation Plants; limiting the use of pesticides on District land; advocating for pharmaceutical takeback legislation; and advocating for the use of green infrastructure as a stormwater tool to support the District’s Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, including by expanding the Space to Grow schoolyard program in Chicago and 128 suburbs; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Spyropoulos has advocated for the District to implement flood management tools which utilize grey and green infrastructure, flood prone property acquisition, regulation of development and numerous regional and local flood control projects; and
WHEREAS, on November 5, 2024, Cook County voters overwhelmingly elected Commissioner Mariyana T. Spyropoulos as the next Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, while the District will miss the leadership of Commissioner Spyropoulos it recognizes that her vast talents and dedication to public service will be welcome in her new position as Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do hereby honor and express our sincerest gratitude to Commissioner Mariyana T. Spyropoulos for her extraordinary dedication and service to the residents of the many municipalities that are serviced by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UV Disinfection Facility located at the District’s O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant be named the “Mariyana T. Spyropoulos UV Disinfection Facility” in honor of her service as a member of the Board of Commissioners; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Commissioner Mariyana T. Spyropoulos.
Dated: November 21, 2024