Honor Soldato's 46-Year Service

Senate Resolution No. 3367 BY: Senator GRIFFO COMMENDING Lucille A. Soldato upon the occasion of her retirement after 46 years of distinguished service to Oneida County WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor those outstanding citizens of this great Empire State who have devoted themselves to faithfully serving the best interests of their community and the needs of its residents; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Lucille A. Soldato upon the occasion of her retirement after 46 years of distinguished service to Oneida County to be celebrated with a "Happy Hour for Lucille Soldato" at Danielle's at Valley View on the Parkway, on Wednesday, November 8, 2017; she will officially retire Friday, November 17, 2017; and WHEREAS, Lucille A. Soldato has served in many positions within County government beginning her career at the age of 20 with the Department of Motor Vehicles; in March of 1975, she transferred to the Department of Social Services (DSS) when she accepted a position as a Resource Assistant; and WHEREAS, During her employment, Lucille A. Soldato held titles in various divisions of DSS including: Resources, Temporary Assistance, Services, Employment, Contracts and Administration; in 1997, she was appointed to Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Social Services, and nine years later, in 2006, she was appointed as the Commissioner; and WHEREAS, While employed full time and managing a family, Lucille A. Soldato attended college and graduated from Utica College with a bachelor's degree in Psychology in 1977; in 1992, she earned her Masters of Social Work degree; and WHEREAS, During her tenure, this remarkable woman had a passion for human services and was truly committed to providing quality services to vulnerable people residing in the communities; and WHEREAS, Lucille A. Soldato was instrumental in many initiatives including: establishing the Employment Unit, creating contractual policies for purchase of service agreements within DSS, planning and implementing a centralized intake for all of social services and transitioning the department from paper files to electronic records; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, Lucille A. Soldato initiated processes to capture program statistics in order to utilize data to drive decision making; and while this is now a common strategy, she was on the cutting edge when she embraced the concept; and WHEREAS, Lucille A. Soldato worked diligently to collaborate with public and private partners to create viable and sustainable programs within the community to improve the overall social and economic conditions of county residents; this frequently included participating as a member of various community/agency boards or committees working to advance humanitarian causes; and WHEREAS, Throughout her career, Lucille A. Soldato served with intelligence and caring dedication, continuously striving to effectively fulfill the duties of her position; and WHEREAS, Sincerely loved and greatly respected by all those with whom she worked, Lucille A. Soldato will be remembered for her honesty, integrity, keen sense of duty and ability to show a unique grasp of human problems in her official acts; and WHEREAS, With her throughout have been her husband, Bill, her two wonderful children, Maria and Steven, and five grandchildren, as well as her sister and many nieces and nephews, all of whom feel privileged to be a part of her life and rejoice in her achievements; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Lucille A. Soldato upon the occasion of her retirement, and to wish her continued success in all her future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Lucille A. Soldato.