HJ5036: Commending J. Chris Kollman III.

WHEREAS, J. Chris Kollman III, admired public servant and respected mayor of the City of Colonial Heights, retires in 2006; and

WHEREAS, Chris Kollman, a lifelong resident of Colonial Heights, attended Colonial Heights Public Schools and served his country in the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, after an exceptional 30-year career, Chris Kollman retired from Bell Atlantic and started his own lawn care company, C & C Lawn Service, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, Chris Kollman began his public service career in 1976 in Colonial Heights when he was elected to the Colonial Heights City Council; and

WHEREAS, Chris Kollman has served two terms as vice mayor and two terms as mayor and has provided extraordinary leadership during a period of extensive change and growth in Colonial Heights; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Kollman was instrumental in the success of countless civic projects and programs, including the development and construction of the Vocational School, Southpark Mall, the Colonial Heights Library, the Government Center, as well as the revitalization of the Boulevard and the renovation of the old City Hall Building into a new Public Safety Building; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Kollman worked to provide funds for civic and school improvements, stricter regulations for property maintenance and city beautification, a city-wide business retention and development plan, and the recruitment of highly qualified city employees to improve city services; and

WHEREAS, committed to the well-being of all of the residents of Colonial Heights, Mayor Kollman has served as an active member of numerous civic organizations, among them the local Transportation Safety Commission, the Youth Services Commission, the Juvenile and Domestic Violence Task Force, the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Board of Social Services, the Virginia Fire Services Board, and Governor Warner's Northern Virginia Base Realignment and Closure Working Group; and

WHEREAS, an exceptional leader, Mayor Kollman has served the citizens of Colonial Heights with great dignity, vision, and professionalism; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend J. Chris Kollman III for his 30 years of outstanding public service to the City of Colonial Heights; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to J. Chris Kollman III as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his dedication to the citizens of the Commonwealth and best wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement.