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2017 SESSION

17104736D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 896
Offered February 7, 2017
Commending Ray A. Conner.
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Patrons-- Hayes, Knight and Leftwich; Senator: Cosgrove
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WHEREAS, Ray A. Conner is retiring in March 2017, after 42 years of exemplary public service to the City of Chesapeake and its citizens; and

WHEREAS, Ray Conner has been Chesapeake Commissioner of the Revenue since August 1, 1983, and he currently holds the distinction of being the third-longest serving Commissioner of the Revenue in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Ray Conner is an honor graduate of Great Bridge High School and received a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University; and

WHEREAS, Ray Conner earned his certification as a Master Commissioner of the Revenue in 2005, through the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service; and

WHEREAS, Ray Conner began his career in public service as a magistrate and then chief magistrate for the City of Chesapeake, prior to being elected Commissioner of the Revenue; and

WHEREAS, during his more than three decades as Commissioner of the Revenue, Ray Conner did a superior job of managing an efficient workplace, providing courteous and knowledgeable service to all citizens, and creating an environment in which taxes are administered fairly and uniformly; and

WHEREAS, as Commissioner of the Revenue, Ray Conner oversees 38 full-time staff members in four office locations and directly administers taxes that generate more than $160 million in annual revenue, which is critical to the operation of local government and schools; and

WHEREAS, among Ray Conner’s achievements as Chesapeake Commissioner of the Revenue was the introduction of DMV Select service, which is heavily used by the city’s residents; and

WHEREAS, Ray Conner is a past president of the Virginia Association of Locally Elected Constitutional Officers and of the Virginia Commissioners of the Revenue Association, positions through which he shared his experience and expertise with others; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, Ray Conner was honored with the First Citizen Award from the Chesapeake Rotary Club, recognizing his significant citizenship and leadership efforts to enhance the quality of life in Chesapeake; and

WHEREAS, Ray Conner’s long record of civic involvement includes leadership roles in the Chesapeake Crime Line, South Norfolk Ruritan Club, Chesapeake Rotary Club, and Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation; and

WHEREAS, it has been a great privilege and honor for Ray Conner to serve the people of Chesapeake; his long tenure would not have been possible without the loving support of his wife, Gretchen, with whom he looks forward to traveling and enjoying retirement; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Ray A. Conner on his retirement after 42 years of distinguished public service to the citizens of Chesapeake; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Ray A. Conner as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his profound commitment to serving his community and to making Chesapeake a better place to live.