...Title:
Proclamation thanking Ms. Jo Ellen Kenney for her 35 years of dedicated service as the Director of the Carnegie Library of McKeesport.
...Body:
WHEREAS, Allegheny County is blessed with individuals dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our neighborhood and the community as a whole; individuals such as Ms. Jo Ellen Kenney, who has placed her stamp of character and hard work throughout the community, as both a public servant and strong leader; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Kenney is retiring as Director of the Carnegie Library of McKeesport after 35 years of dedicated service; and
WHEREAS, in 1977, Ms. Kenney joined the Carnegie Library of McKeesport as a children's librarian, a post she held for 10 years, until leaving to pursue a master's degree in library science at the University of Pittsburgh; in 1988, she accepted a McKeesport Area librarian job serving Centennial Elementary and Cornell Middle schools; in 1989, she accepted the director's post of the Carnegie Library of McKeesport; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Kenney was active in the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) and as that organization's president, she was among individuals seeking a portion of the 1 percent sales tax-supported Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) funding for local libraries; Ms. Kenney's efforts led to ACLA being deemed a "regional asset" and funding from RAD; and
WHEREAS, under Ms. Kenney's leadership, the Carnegie Library of McKeesport has seen technological upgrades and capital improvements that have kept it an accessible, functional community resource;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Allegheny County Council does hereby recognize and thank Ms. Jo Ellen Kenney for her commitment to making her community a better place. We join her family and friends in celebrating this momentous occasion, and we wish Ms. Kenney all the best in her future endeavors.