Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Recognizing and commending Craig Wilson for his professional and personal dedication to the City of Madison, and congratulating him on the occasion of his retirement.
Body
WHEREAS, Craig Wilson is retiring from the City of Madison on April 22, 2020, after dedicating 27 years of his life to helping improve thousands of homes and hundreds of businesses throughout the City of Madison; and
WHEREAS, before coming to the City of Madison, Craig began his career working in construction providing him with an extensive knowledge and experience to assist homeowners and business owners with their residential and commercial renovation projects; and,
WHEREAS, Craig began his career with the City of Madison on September 28, 1992 as a Housing Rehabilitation Specialist providing loans to homeowners to buy and/or rehabilitate a house to make it a decent, safe and sanitary home; and,
WHEREAS, while Craig’s position began in the City’s Community & Economic Development Unit, Craig has rolled with the changes through multiple organizational charts finally landing in the Community Development Division for the past five years; and,
WHEREAS, as his career progressed, Craig became an invaluable resource with his wealth of construction knowledge, patience, great communication skills and wherewithal to stand up for the City’s customers in dealing with many contractors; and
WHEREAS, over the course of his career, Craig’s commitment and dedication to his work have been evident in the hundreds of satisfied customers, except for some feisty elderly women who enjoyed talking with him so much they wanted to talk to him daily, multiple times daily, some who may be the cause of this retirement; and
WHEREAS, Craig played a lead role in establishing and implementing the City’s Façade Grant program assisting businesses with a fresh and updated exterior look to boost business while also stabilizing neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, a bright spot in the day for City staff was Craig’s reliably interesting and engaging conversation during group lunch in the break room; and
WHEREAS, Craig has spent much of his free time as one of Madison’s premiere photographers as well as being an unprecedentedly talented kite flyer, often combining these two talents and other artistic endeavors over the years; and
WHEREAS, Craig’s exceptional photography and creative kite flying have yielded several published photography books with myriad iconic views of Madison, the state of Wisconsin and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Craig’s awe-inspiring photography is featured in the new Madison Municipal Building, on several utility boxes around the Square uniquely positioning him to serve as both City staff and resident artist; and
WHEREAS, Craig’s first-and-only-one-of-its-kind kite flying routine in MMB 260 was the talk of the building after the Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development’s first ever staff talent show; and
WHEREAS, as it turns out, Craig could not have picked a better, worse or stranger time to retire amidst the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Directors and entire staff of both the Community Development and Economic Development Divisions within the Department of Planning & Community & Economic Development view his departure with a mixture of both deep sadness and shameless envy.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council recognizes and thanks Craig Wilson for his service to the City of Madison and its residents, congratulates him on his well-deserved retirement from City service, and wishes him well in his future adventures.