Milton "Milt" Patterson is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 32nd District on the southwest side of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

from 2005 until 2009. Patterson earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

with honors in fire science and fire protection engineering from

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 st ...

, and a master of public administration from

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

where he also has done postgraduate study in electrical engineering. He taught circuit analysis and electrical design, and served as Chief Electrical Inspector and Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings. He also taught courses at Kennedy-King College for a time. In the 2004 Democratic primary, Patterson defeated seventeen-year incumbent Charles Morrow to represent the 32nd district. The 32nd district at the time included parts of the Greater Grand Crossing, Englewood, West Englewood,

Chicago Lawn Chicago Lawn is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the southwest side of the city. Its community neighbors include Gage Park, West Englewood, Ashburn, and West Lawn. It is bounded by Bell Avenue on the east ...

, Ashburn, and West Lawn. During the 94th General Assembly, Patterson served on the following committees: Appropriations-Public Safety; Computer Technology; Electric Utility Oversight; Housing and Urban Development. During the 95th General Assembly, Patterson served as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Computer Technology. After suffering a stroke, Patterson chose to retire and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Andre Thapedi. On January 9, 2009, Patterson was the lone House vote (114–1) against impeaching Governor Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges and committing

abuses of power Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

. In the roll call, Patterson said he didn't feel it was his job to vote to impeach the governor. He declined to comment on whether he approved of Blagojevich's performance. Patterson defended his vote against impeachment by stating that "I have no firsthand knowledge of any of the evidence," "I went by my own gut feeling, as simple as that," and also that "I read the report. If the government is going to indict him, let them go ahead and do that. That's their job and I'm doing my job."

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Representative Milton 'Milt' Patterson (IL)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Milton (Milt) Patterson
20062004
campaign contributions

profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Milton Politicians from Chicago University of Illinois Chicago alumni Living people 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Year of birth missing (living people)