Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Retiring after 35 years service on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, the Village Board passed a resolution Monday honoring Stephen Lloyd.
Mayor John Ostenburg remarked that Mr. Lloyd had been on the commission so long, that each and every officer and fire official currently employed in the village was hired while Lloyd served.
eNews Park Forest wishes Mr. Lloyd well, and, as Mayor Ostenburg is fond of saying, ad multos annos, many, many years to come. Thanks to Mr. Lloyd, others on the commission, and the operating philosophy of the Village of Park Forest, officers are hired and serve in Park Forest without politics, and without fear of political reprisal.
The resolution follows:
WHEREAS, Stephen Lloyd was appointed to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners in January, 1980 and has served continuously on that Commission for the past 35 years; and
WHEREAS, in 1981 Stephen was appointed as Chair of the Commission and has served in that position until his retirement; and
WHEREAS, Stephen Lloyd brought to his duties professional experiences that included bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, in addition to local government posts in Phoenix, Arizona (1958-1959), Elgin, Illinois (1960-1962), the Chicago Police Department (1962- 1966), Palo Alto, California (1969-1972) and decades of work with the PAR Group carrying out local government staffing studies and talent searches; and
WHEREAS, as Chairman he was instrumental in establishing and continually upgrading the testing process for Police and Fire recruitment; and
WHEREAS, he was instrumental in establishing the testing process and participated in the oral interviews for those Police and Fire officers who competed in the promotional process; and
WHEREAS, he was responsible for expanding the Village’s recruitment efforts in an attempt to attract qualified female and minority candidates for the positions of Police Officer and Firefighter/Paramedic; and
WHEREAS, 1983 Park Forest was the first municipality in the region to hire a female Firefighter; and
WHEREAS, he evaluated disciplinary matters brought to the Commission in a fair and just manner, basing his final decisions on the evidence presented; and
WHEREAS, he provided guidance and insight to the Police and Fire administrations on a regular basis by always staying current on police and fire issues and upgraded policies to ensure the continued growth of the Police and Fire Departments as professional organizations; and
WHEREAS, Stephen is well respected by the other past and present members of the Commission, he always operated with the Village’s best interests at heart and has helped spread the excellent reputation of the Village of Park Forest; and
WHEREAS, the proof of his many years of accomplishment are the numbers of outstanding, dedicated, professional men and women who have been recruited, hired and promoted in the Village’s Police and Fire Departments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village of Park Forest that Stephen Lloyd is offered the warmest, and most sincere appreciation of the Board and the residents of the Village for his many years of excellent services; services that have improved the quality of the life in the Village of Park Forest. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in recognition of Stephen Lloyd’s 35 years of volunteer service, the Municipal Court Room at the Park Forest Police Station shall be renamed as the Stephen Lloyd Municipal Hall.
Adopted this 19th day of September, 2016.