[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 100 (Monday, June 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             TRIBUTE TO CHICAGO RIDGE MAYOR EUGENE L. SIEGEL

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 19, 1995
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Eugene 
L. Siegel, an outstanding public leader and resident of the Third 
Congressional District in Illinois. After 20 years of dedicated public 
service, Gene Siegel is retiring as mayor of Chicago Ridge, IL.
  Mr. Siegel began his political career in 1963 when he was appointed 
as the deputy coroner for the Cook County Coroner's Office. After 
serving in that position for 8 years, Gene accepted another appointment 
as the assistant chief to the Cook County Sheriff's Office. In 1987, he 
accepted yet another appointment as administrative assistant to the 
State Treasurer's Office. Mayor Siegel was also a member of the Cook 
County Criminal Justice Commission for 6 years; one of two mayors in 
all of Cook County serving in that capacity. He is also a past 
associate of the Crisis Center for South Suburbia.
  In 1975, Gene was elected as part-time mayor of Chicago Ridge to fill 
an unexpired term. He was reelected in 1977, 1981, 1985, 1989, and in 
1993, was elected as a full-time mayor. At the present time, Mayor 
Siegel is serving as vice chairman of the Southwest Council of Mayors, 
and is the legislative chairman for the Southwest Conference of Local 
Government. Also, he is serving as vice president and a member of the 
board of directors for the Illinois Municipal League. He is a member of 
the Midway Airport task force and a member of the Cook County Advisory 
Board on Community Development Block Grant applications.
  During his tenure as mayor, Mayor Siegel has accomplished a 
tremendous amount on behalf of the residents of Chicago Ridge. Gene 
created a solvent tax base by instrumenting the development of the 
Chicago Ridge Mall in 1981, and the Commons of Chicago Ridge in 1988. 
These developments allow his administration to hold the line on 
property owner's taxes and still permit such village improvements as 
the improvement of Ridgeland Avenue to establish commercial land use 
and the installation of an adequate water system with a 2-million-
gallon reservoir and a pumping station. The mayor has worked diligently 
to make Chicago Ridge a beautiful and safe place to live and raise a 
family. Under his administration, countless streets have been paved 
with storm sewers, gutters, and modern street lighting, and traffic 
signals have been installed at hazardous intersections. Presently, the 
mayor is working on development projects that include the industrial 
park, a 130 acre parcel of property, and the Chicago Ridge Commons TIF 
extension.
  Mayor Siegel is a dedicated public servant who has worked to build a 
genuine community feeling in Chicago Ridge. Throughout his 20 years as 
mayor, Gene has maintained an open door policy for all his constituents 
and employees. He will be sorely missed as mayor of Chicago Ridge but I 
am sure he will remain a prominent member of the community. He and his 
wife have been residents of Chicago Ridge for 39 years.
  I ask my colleagues to join the residents of Chicago Ridge and myself 
in expressing our gratitude to Mayor Siegel for his years of devotion 
to public service. I wish Mayor Siegel good health in his retirement 
and, again, I thank him for his devotion to the residents of Chicago 
Ridge.


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