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� C I it 1,
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<br /> BILL NO. 23-25
<br /> 414.
<br /> SPECIAL RESOLUTION NO. 5022-23
<br /> A SPECIAL RESOLUTION OF THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL AND ON BEHALF
<br /> OF THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTH BEND,HONORING A TRUE VISIONARY,AARON PERRI,
<br /> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VENUES PARKS &ARTS,FOR HIS
<br /> MANY AND TRANSFORMATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND.
<br /> 64 a"visionary" is defined as"a person with original ideas about what the future will or
<br /> could be like"and a person"thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom; and
<br /> 6)Iftorea4 Executive Director of the Department of Venues Parks&Arts, Aaron Perri, is not
<br /> only a"visionary" by these definitions,his many contributions to the quality of life of South Bend
<br /> residents establish that he is also a leader,a planner,a coworker, a fundraiser,a marketer,and whatever
<br /> else is necessary to help him and his staff to give effect to his vision of creating a better life for the
<br /> residents of South Bend; and
<br /> Offtorea4 in 2015,Aaron was persuaded by Mayor Pete Buttigieg to leave his position as
<br /> Executive Director of Downtown South Bend, Inc. and assume a position as Director of Parks and
<br /> Recreation, which would soon evolve into Executive Director of Venues Parks&Arts with the expanded
<br /> role of managing city venues, including the Morris Performing Arts Center,the Palais Royale and the
<br /> Century Center; and
<br /> 61Kurerz4 Aaron probably never envisioned that his new position would one day,during a 1000-
<br /> year flood, cause him to walk the East Bank trail, in the dead of night,to evaluate the damage; and
<br /> Wsretat Aaron has never been known as a man of few words,which is expected of someone
<br /> who has overseen with excitement and enthusiasm projects such as the Howard Park renovation to the
<br /> My SB Parks&Trail initiative which allocated nearly$100 million for approximately 50 different park
<br /> projects,to the installation of the river lights,to the celebrations of the 100t birthday of the Morris
<br /> Performing Arts Center and South Bend's 150th anniversary,to the renovations of the Charles Black
<br /> Center,to the planned Martin Luther King,Jr. Dream Center; and
<br /> W./4mA Aaron has the same passion for smaller projects such as the Community Art Mural at
<br /> the corner of Colfax Avenue and Woodward Court which includes representations of nearly every
<br /> demographic from South Bend, inclusive of age,race,religion, sexual orientation,political belief, income
<br /> level, education status and beyond; and
<br /> 6)Korea4 Aaron led, and sometimes cajoled and prodded,his team members to excellence by
<br /> telling them -make it bigger,""light it on fire"or"let them zip line in;"and
<br /> O��/�e , this passion resulted in the Department's award of the 2022 National Gold Medal
<br /> Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management from the American Academy for Park and
<br /> Recreation Administration,honoring the department for excellence in long-range planning,resource
<br /> management and innovative approaches to superior park and recreation services; and
<br /> Ofiexer7, one of Aaron's particular passions is the live entertainment booked at the Morris
<br /> Performing Arts Center,an outgrowth of his time booking entertainment at Legends at Notre Dame,
<br /> which served Aaron and the City well during the need on multiple occasions for Aaron to step in and
<br /> manage the Morris during leadership transitions; and
<br /> el‘rea4 Aaron is so proud of the Morris,he has a condominium overlooking the Morris and
<br /> the Plaza, although it has been rumored that Aaron uses this location, at times,to keep watch over his
<br /> team members working at the Morris and the Plaza; and
<br /> Aaron is driven by details from his hands on planning for each of the City's fireworks
<br /> displays,to his knowledge of the name and specific job of every one of the 100 plus members of the
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