Tribute to Jim Reiter

TRIBUTE TO JIM REITER

Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I was back home in St. Paul a couple weeks ago during our last recess, and on late Tuesday afternoon of that week, I met with my friend Randy Kelly, mayor of St. Paul.

Since I used to call his office my own, I look forward to these meetings. They give me the chance to get a first-hand update of the city. As my colleagues here in the Senate who also used to be in a mayor's office would attest, once you leave it's hard to not think and care about what you used to pay attention to so closely. A former mayor will always have an interest in the affairs and goings-on of his city.

On that note, the meeting I had with Mayor Kelly immediately began with what was to us a situation of great sadness for
the city of St. Paul—the passing of Jim Reiter earlier that afternoon, a friend of ours and member of St. Paul's city council.

As you can imagine, this is unfortunate news to come home to. But during times like this, I think home is the best place for
a person to be, surrounded by those who understand what it is like to lose the friend we all had in Jim.

Being with my family and reflecting with others on Jim's time and accomplishments at the council were consoling, as was reading the Twin Cities' newspapers the next two mornings and seeing their fitting recognition of Jim as a caring family man and dedicated servant to the people of St. Paul's North End and Como Park neighborhoods.

The papers reported that Jim "represented" these people at the city level, and that is true. But because I believe he did more than just represent the residents of these neighborhoods, I would use a different phrase to describe his efforts. I would say that Jim "took care of" these people.

For neighborhoods, he knew what was important, and that includes having both a sense of pride in where you live and a sense of safety. As a result, he saw to it that the housing conditions of his neighborhoods improved and that his residents had what all should—a library and a community center. He also made it a point to have police officers regularly patrolling the streets, and if they weren't present, Jim would take matters into his own hands by driving around in his "Crime Watch" car, a surplus police cruiser he bought with his city council car allowance.

Jim and I shared the same vision for St. Paul, and I couldn't have done what I did during my eight years as mayor without him. Jim understood my priorities to make St. Paul an even better place to live and work, and he made sure his ward measured up.

Not only has St. Paul's North End, Como Park area, and city council experienced a loss after Jim's passing, but so has the city as a whole, which was noticeable the next day when I went to a field hearing and saw flags lowered at half-staff throughout the city.

More importantly, he was my friend. I will miss his smile. I will miss his humor. I will miss his independent speech. I will miss him.

Finally, my thoughts are with Jim's family: his wife Darlene; son Jim Jr.; daughters Linda, Debby, Jean, and Kris; and his four grandchildren. Their husband, father, and grandfather was a true civic leader and a great friend that I—and I know many others—will never forget.