Rockford Sun

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) joined other Senate Republicans in thanking his administrative support staff this week in honor of Administrative Professionals Day. 

Syverson acknowledged that he couldn't do it without his great staff in the April 21 video shared by the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus. 

"I am here to say thank you to the great staff I have," said the Rockford senator. "Cindy, Cheryl, Bruce, Linda. Thanks for the great work you are doing. We couldn’t do it without you."

Recently Syverson has recently been outspoken about his redistricting concerns; redistricting happens once a decade but has been complicated this year by the COVID-19 pandemic, delays in official U.S. Census data and growing concern that the remapping responsibility best fall on an independent equally bipartisan committee of residents rather than the Democratic-controlled legislature. 

Syverson cosponsored Senate Bill 1325, which introduced the People's Independent Maps Act. 

"Under Illinois' current system, politicians have the power to draw the district maps for the next ten years, manipulating the system to silence voters and keep majority-party politicians in power," Syverson said on Facebook. "This proposal is our way of seeking to restore public trust in the system by putting an end to the absurd practice of politicians picking their voters."

The U.S. has been celebrating Administrative Professionals Day in some shape or form since World War II. 

The first National Secretaries Day was organized in 1952. Over the years, the name changed to Professional Secretaries Day. In 2000, the International Association of Administrative Professionals announced that name would be changed to Administrative Professionals Day.