Title
To express the appreciation of the Council of the City of Columbus to Charleta B. Tavares for her service to this Council and for her commitment to improving the quality of life for all Columbus residents.
Body
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares, a proud graduate of Columbus Eastmoor High School was appointed to Columbus City Council in 1999, faithfully serving the citizens of Columbus for more than a decade; and
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares' state and national reputation as a leader in the areas of health and human services was instrumental in her appointment to serve as the Chair of the Council's Health & Human Development Committee; and
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares sponsored and successfully passed some of the most significant legislation in recent history in the areas of health, human development and housing including: the Clean Indoor Air Act, the Housing Preservation Fund; the Living Donor Paid Leave Program, the Emergency Human Services Capital Fund, the Columbus Foreclosure Resolution, the Columbus/Franklin County Affordable Housing Trust, the Columbus Legislative Internship Program, the Columbus Youth Safety Helmet Law, and the Disappearing Real Property Owner Law; and
WHEREAS, prior to joining Council, Charleta B. Tavares served as the State Representative in the 22nd House District for 5 ½ years and was the first African-American female to serve in the state legislature from Franklin County and the first African-American woman to hold a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares currently serves as Executive Director of Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence, an organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of care in Ohio's behavioral healthcare system; and
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares served on many National, State and Local Boards including the National League of Cities, the NLC Advisory Council, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, the NLC Human Development Steering Committee, and the WAND Education Fund; the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, Columbus Compact, Franklin County Family and Children First Council; Access Health Columbus; Community Research Partners, and Columbus/Franklin County Housing Advisory Board; and
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares is a member of Corporate Sisters, the Ohio Business and Professional Women's Organization; the Ohio Municipal League; the Hispanic Elected Local officials, Women in Municipal Government, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women; and the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and has received more than 200 national and state honors and awards, spanning all areas from education to public service; and
WHEREAS, Charleta B. Tavares is a founding member and former Vice President of the Columbus Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and serves on the Executive Committees of the Franklin County and Ohio Democratic Party and served as a member of the 1988 Platform Committee and attended or served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from 1984-2008; and
WHEREAS, throughout her years of service, the consistent thread that runs through each initiative Charleta B. Tavares has championed and implemented has been her sincere desire to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable Columbus residents and her presence will be sorely missed, but never forgotten; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize and express its appreciation to Charleta B. Tavares for her service to this Council and for her commitment to improving the quality of life for all Columbus residents.