[Senate Document 111-38]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
TRIBUTES TO HON. GEORGE V. VOINOVICH
George V. Voinovich
U.S. SENATOR FROM OHIO
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
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George V. Voinovich
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Tributes
Delivered in Congress
George V. Voinovich
United States Senator
1999-2011
a
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Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell to the Senate................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii....................
18
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
3
Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
11
Brown, Sherrod, of Ohio........................
13
Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
16
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
26
Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
16
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
22
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
20
Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
21
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
17
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
17
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
24
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
5
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
9
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
10
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
7
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
29
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
6
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
4, 13
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
26
Voinovich, George V., of Ohio..................
9
Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
7
BIOGRAPHY
George Voinovich is one of Ohio's most distinguished
public servants. His career in public service dates back
to 1963 when he was appointed assistant attorney general
for the State of Ohio. He later served as a State
representative, Cuyahoga County commissioner, county
auditor, and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio. In
1979, he was elected mayor of Cleveland, serving for 10
years, and in 1990 he was elected Governor of Ohio and
served for two terms.
George Voinovich is the only person to have served as
chairman of the National Governors Association and
president of the National League of Cities. In 1998, he
was elected to the U.S. Senate and was reelected to a
second term in 2004.
As mayor, George Voinovich helped turn Cleveland around
after it became the first major city to declare bankruptcy
since the Depression. As Governor, he led Ohio through the
early 1990s recession. During the Voinovich gubernatorial
administration, unemployment hit a 25-year low thanks to
the creation of 600,000 new jobs, due in part to such
initiatives as the Job Creation Tax Credit which helped
create or retain at least 163,000 jobs from 1993 to 1998.
George Voinovich's leadership and dedication have taken
Ohio a long way. He has been guided by his own motto--
``Together we can do it!''--and the State of Ohio's
motto--``With God all things are possible.'' George
Voinovich didn't lose sight of those principles in the
U.S. Senate as he continued to make a difference for
people throughout Ohio, our Nation, and the world.
Senator Voinovich has been called ``one of the most
humble and hardest working Members of the U.S. Senate''
and he has received numerous awards for his work to
strengthen the business climate in Ohio and the Nation.
As a former chairman and ranking member of the EPW Clean
Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, Senator Voinovich
committed himself to the safe and secure growth of nuclear
power and made important strides in the nuclear
renaissance. Throughout his Senate career Senator
Voinovich called for a ``Second Declaration of
Independence'' from foreign sources of energy, prompting
the Akron Beacon Journal to editorialize that:
Voinovich understands the need for an energy strategy
that operated on many fronts from renewable to nuclear
power to improved efficiency.
Over the last decade, Senator Voinovich has been
actively involved in crafting America's foreign and
national security policies. He used his status as a 5-year
member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to
conduct oversight of U.S. foreign policy in the most
critical parts of the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan,
Iran, North Korea, the Balkans, and former captive nations
in Eastern Europe. Senator Voinovich played a leadership
role in strengthening and enlarging the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance and was the only
Member of Congress in the room at the 2002 NATO summit in
Prague where membership was formally extended to Latvia,
Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and
Slovenia.
Senator Voinovich has also carried the banners of
advancing U.N. reform, strengthening U.S. public
diplomacy, promoting lasting peace and stability in
Southeast Europe, and combating global anti-Semitism,
racism, and other forms of intolerance. His Visa Waiver
Program legislation was eagerly adopted, and is now
benefiting countries that support the United States and
are committed to fighting terrorism around the globe.
George Voinovich's appreciation for those in the
trenches was bolstered by his experiences as Governor of
Ohio and mayor of Cleveland. During his 12 years as
Senator, including as chairman and ranking member of the
Subcommittee on the Oversight of Government Management, he
demonstrated that appreciation by getting into the weeds
of management challenges facing the Federal workforce and
learning details of arcane matters, such as security
clearance. Over the course of his Senate career, he held
more than 50 hearings and passed more than 25 pieces of
legislation to transform government management and the
Federal workforce.
Throughout his Senate career, George Voinovich served on
the Committee on Appropriations, the Environment and
Public Works Committee, the Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), the Foreign
Relations Committee, and the Ethics Committee.
Of all he has accomplished, George Voinovich counts his
family--his wife Janet, his three children and his eight
grandchildren--as his greatest gifts in life.
Farewell to the Senate
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to say
farewell to the Senate after 12 years. I would like to
take time to convey my heartfelt thanks to all of those
who have helped me during my time in the Senate and to
reflect briefly on the work we were able to get done, work
that I think made a difference for the people of my State
and our Nation.
I also will share a few observations with my colleagues,
both those who are staying as the 112th, as well as
Senators yet to come. At this stage in my life, I look
back on my 44 years in public service and I cannot help
but thank God for the immeasurable blessings he has
bestowed upon me. Each time I walk the steps of the
Senate, I look up at the Statue of Freedom on the top of
our Capitol dome, and I think of my grandparents who came
to America with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
They could not read or write and spoke only a few words of
English.
I have to pinch myself as a reminder that this has not
been just a wonderful dream. The grandson of Serbian and
Slovenian immigrants who grew up on the East Side of
Cleveland is a U.S. Senator. Only in America.
Truly none of us should take for granted the economic
and political freedoms we have. My dad used to say the
reason we have more of the world's bounty is because we
get more out of our people because of our free enterprise
and educational systems. Mr. Gudikuntz, my social studies
teacher, said, ``A democracy is where everyone has an
equal opportunity to become unequal.''
So during my final days in the Senate, I think of the
people in my life who have gotten me up the steps to this
hallowed Chamber: My wife of 48 years--Janet is God's
greatest blessing to me. She has never pulled or pushed
me, but she has always been at my side; my three children
on Earth, George, Betsy and Peter, and my angel in Heaven,
Molly, and my eight grandchildren, my siblings and their
extended families. It is not easy to have a father,
brother, or uncle in this business. The people of Ohio who
have facilitated my election to eight different offices,
who have stuck with me even though on occasion they have
not agreed with me, have my deep appreciation. I can never
thank them enough. I hope they know that every decision I
have made and every policy I have crafted, although not
always the easiest or most popular at the time, was aimed
to improve and make a positive difference in our lives. I
am very humbled to have been given the privilege to serve
them through the years.
Here in the Senate, both in Ohio and in Washington, I am
so proud of what my wonderful staff has done for me and
the people of Ohio. I take fatherly pride in having had
the chance to touch their lives and see them grow. I also
think of our colleagues in the other Senate offices who
have helped and cooperated with them as we worked together
to solve our Nation's problems, meet challenges, and seize
opportunities. My colleagues and I should be most humble;
for all we are is a reflection of these wonderful, loyal,
hard-working individuals.
I also thank all of you in this Chamber for the
courtesies you have extended to me. I miss my first 2
years when I presided over the Senate, the first one to
get to 100 hours in the chair. It was a wonderful time,
and thank you all for what you have done for me over the
years.
The folks in the Attending Physician's Office have taken
care of me physically. Our two great Chaplains, Lloyd
Ogilvie and Barry Black, along with the wonderful priests
at St. Joseph's on the Hill have helped me grow
spiritually. I have to mention Jim Inhofe, hosting our
Bible study each week. He honored me by inviting me to a
codel to Africa this year. There is no one in this Senate
who has done more for public diplomacy for the United
States in Africa than Jim Inhofe.
I have learned in my life that you cannot do anything
alone. So, of course, I think of my colleagues in the
Senate whom I have learned to know and respect. I have
been blessed to call them friends. The American people
have made it clear that they are not happy with
partisanship in Washington. But the fact is, there are
some great partnerships here, and those partnerships and
relationships result in action.
I do not think many people outside Washington understand
that a lot gets done here on a bipartisan basis. Many
Americans think the only action in the Senate is on the
floor of the Senate. But much of the action in the Senate
is in the committees and meetings with other Members off
the floor, as well as through unanimous consent.
Once a bill gets through committee, perhaps one or two
people might have a problem with it, but we work it out,
call them, go see them, it gets done. But it is never
reported in the paper about how we are working together on
so many pieces of legislation.
I am proud of the contribution I have made to the
country in the area of human capital and government
management. The fact is, though, without my brother, Dan
Akaka--and he is my brother--the changes never would have
occurred. There is nobody who has done more to reform the
way we treat our Federal workers, to make us more
competitive and work harder and smarter and do more with
less than what Dan and I have tried to do over the years,
12 years of working at it. It is an area that is neglected
by most legislators because they do not appreciate how
important the people are who work in government. I call
them the A-Team. Any successful organization has to have
good finances and good people.
I am also proud of my work in helping to relaunch the
nuclear renaissance, which will help deliver baseload
energy for America, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,
and reignite our manufacturing base in Ohio and in our
country. I could not have done this without Senator Tom
Carper, who has been both a friend and a colleague since
our days as Governors. Tom's leadership was key to
organizing our recent successful Nuclear Summit in
Washington, and Tom has taken the baton from me and will
carry nuclear energy to the finish line as part of the
future of America's energy supply, along with Mike Crapo,
Jim Risch, Lamar Alexander, and others.
I also recall the passage of the landmark PRO-IP bill, a
bill to protect our intellectual property, by the way, the
last bastion of our global competitiveness. It was a
multiyear process that would not have succeeded without
the work of the business community and my friend, Evan
Bayh, whom I first met when we were Governors of
neighboring States.
As many of you know, I have been an ardent champion for
my brothers and sisters in Eastern Europe, the Baltic
States, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. As
such, I am proud to have led the effort to expand NATO and
increase membership in the Visa Waiver Program. These two
accomplishments would not have happened without the
bipartisan leadership of Dick Lugar and Joe Biden on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the help of Joe
Lieberman and Susan Collins on the Homeland Security and
Government Affairs Committee.
I pray that the bipartisanship that I have witnessed and
enjoyed in both foreign relations and homeland security
will continue. I must also acknowledge Senator Jeanne
Shaheen for her keen interest in Southeast Europe. We
traveled together to the region in February of this year,
and I am heartened that she has picked up the mantle on
our mission to ensure the door of NATO and European Union
membership remains open to all states in the Western
Balkans, which is key, I believe, to our national
security.
I have also championed the cause of monitoring and
combating anti-Semitism, making it a priority within the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and
our State Department. The progress that has been made over
the years could not have happened without the leadership
of Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Chris Smith, and the
late Congressman Tom Lantos.
One of the highlights of my career was the passage of
the global anti-Semitism bill, which created a special
envoy at the State Department to monitor and combat global
anti-Semitism. These are just a few examples of great
bipartisan work going on in the Senate. But much of the
time this is blurred because of the media's addiction to
conflict.
Even though I do not agree with the bipartisan
resolution on extending the Bush tax cuts, I compliment
the President and leaders in Congress for sitting down and
working together to find a compromise.
One of my frustrations after working so hard to find
common ground on significant issues over the past 12 years
has been that it does not happen often enough. The
American people know that even when members of a family
get along, it is difficult to get things done. So they
most certainly know that when we are laser focused on
fighting politicking and messaging, their concerns and
plight are forgotten, and nothing controversial gets done.
There is a growing frustration that Congress is
oblivious to their problems, anxieties, and fears.
Frankly, I think one action leaders could take at the
beginning of each Congress is to assess the issues at
hand. What are the items that Republicans and Democrats
agree should get done to make our Nation more competitive
and make a difference in people's lives, and set a common
agenda. By setting collective goals, by an agreement from
leadership, I believe that will set the environment for
committee chairmen and ranking members for the year.
Think about it. What kind of planning do we do? Most
successful corporations have 5-year plans: Where are we
going? What are our priorities? What are the things we
agree upon? Let's not spend time on those things where we
disagree.
Additionally, an unacceptable amount of time is spent on
fundraising. It is my estimate that 20 to 25 percent of a
Senator's time is spent on raising millions of dollars,
and with it comes the negative fallout in terms of the
public view of Congress, bowing to contributions from
special interests. In addition to this negative
impression, the time spent raising money too often
interferes with the time we need for our families, our
colleagues, and, most important, doing the job the people
elected us to do. My last 2 years have been my most
productive and enjoyable because I have not had to chase
money at home and around the country. None of us like it,
but nothing seems to get done about it.
Ideological differences aside, it is necessary for us to
have good working relationships if we are going to get
anything done for the people who elected us. I know it is
possible from my personal experience. As mayor of
Cleveland, I worked side by side with George Forbes, the
most powerful Democratic city councilman in Cleveland's
history. My entire city council was Democrats. George and
I first met when our children attended the Mayor Works
Program in the Cleveland Public Schools System. Who would
have guessed that we would become the tag team that turned
Cleveland around after it became the first major city to
go into bankruptcy?
I was pummeled by the media on occasion in regard to who
was actually running city hall. My answer was, both of us.
Forbes and I worked together as friends and partners. One
of the great satisfactions when I left the job of mayor
was that USA Today highlighted both of us: The tall
African-American Democrat, Big George, and the short White
Republican, Little George, working together to bring about
Cleveland's renaissance.
In Columbus, I found a worthy adversary when I was
Governor in Democrat Vern Riffe, who was speaker of the
house for my first 4 years as Ohio Governor. My office was
on the 30th floor of the building named after Riffe while
he was still alive and serving an unprecedented 22 years
as speaker.
Well, every day when I went over to the Riffe Tower, I
had to genuflect before his bust. But, somehow, Vern and I
decided we were going to figure out how we could work
together and move Ohio forward and become good friends.
Needless to say, folks, I was dismayed when I learned
this year that President Obama had held only a single one-
on-one meeting with Mitch McConnell. One meeting. When I
was Governor, I met with Vern Riffe and Stan Aranoff, who
was president of the senate, every 2 weeks, developing
good interpersonal relationships and a trust which allowed
us to move Ohio forward, from the Rust Belt to the Jobs
Belt.
I am hoping we have entered a new era in the
relationship between the President and leadership in
Congress. Our situation today is more critical than at any
time in my 44 years in government. How we work together
will determine the future of our country. We must also
recognize that if we diminish the President in the eyes of
the world, it is to the detriment of our Nation's
international influence and will impact our national
security. We are on thin ice, and we need the help of our
allies. They need our help as well.
An example is the START Treaty. Although I have had some
reservations about it, they have been satisfied. It is
vitally important to get done this year or, alternatively,
we must make it clear the Senate will ratify the treaty as
soon as the 112th Congress convenes. To not do so will do
irreparable harm to America's standing with our NATO
allies and would be exploited by our enemies, particularly
those factions in Russia that would like to break off
communication and revert back to our cold war
relationship. There are plenty of them over there still
smarting from the fact that the wall went down, NATO
expanded, and we encroached on their area of influence.
Two weeks ago Janet and I attended a farewell dinner
hosted by Mitch McConnell. Although I have had differences
with Mitch, I have to credit him with keeping the
Republican team together. There is no one more strategic
than Mitch, Jon Kyl, and Lamar Alexander. Still, I share
the concern of many of my colleagues that too often the
herd mentality has taken over our respective conferences.
At the dinner Mitch hosted, I shared with my Republican
colleagues what Ohio State University coach Jim Tressel
defines as success in his book ``The Winners Manual.''
Success is the inner satisfaction and peace of mind that
come from knowing I did the best I was capable of doing
for the group.
Success is a team sport. Hopefully, this will become the
Senate's definition of success, because finding common
ground and teamwork is what it will take to confront the
problems facing our Nation.
My colleague, Senator Chris Dodd, hit the nail on the
head when he said:
It is whether each one of the 100 Senators can work
together--living up to the incredible honor that comes
with the title, and the awesome responsibility that comes
with the office.
We do have a symbiotic relationship, and I am encouraged
that more and more of my colleagues understand that. I was
quite impressed with the fact that 60 percent of the
Senate representation on the National Commission on Fiscal
Responsibility and Reform supported the recommendations of
the chairmen, including Tom Coburn, Mike Crapo, Judd
Gregg, Kent Conrad, and Dick Durbin. As far as I am
concerned, they are true patriots.
As our colleague Tom Coburn said just before the
commission vote:
The time for action is now. We can't afford to wait
until the next election to begin this process. Long before
the skyrocketing cost of entitlements cause our national
debt to triple and tax rates to double, our economy may
collapse under the weight of this burden. We are already
near a precipice. In the near future, we could experience
a collapse in the value of our dollar, hyperinflation, or
other consequences that would force Congress to face a set
of choices far more painful than those proposed in this
plan.
Here we are, in a situation where we are on an
unsustainable fiscal course caused by explosive and
unchecked growth in spending and entitlement obligations
without funding. We have an outdated Tax Code that does
not sufficiently encourage savings and economic growth, a
skyrocketing national debt that puts our credit rating in
serious jeopardy and should give all of us great pause.
Fareed Zakaria posed questions that should haunt all of
us in Monday's Washington Post.
So when will we get serious about our fiscal mess? In
2020 or 2030, when the needed spending cuts and tax hikes
get much larger? If we cannot inflict a little pain now,
who will impose a lot of pain later? Does anyone believe
that Washington will one day develop the political courage
it now lacks? And what if, while we are getting around to
doing something, countries get nervous about lending us
money and our interest rates rise?
I believe the American people get it. They recognize
that our fiscal situation is in the intensive care unit on
life support.
As I walk down the steps of the U.S. Capitol for the
last time, I pray the Holy Spirit will inspire my
colleagues to make the right decision for our country's
future and work together to tackle our fiscal crisis. You
have the future of our Nation and the future of our
children and grandchildren in your hands.
I have already spoken too long. If my wife Janet were
here, she would be scratching her head. That is the signal
she always gives me. I got your signal, dear.
But I would like to finish with a reading from ``One
Quiet Moment,'' a book of daily readings from the former
Senate Chaplain Lloyd Ogilvie which I read every day for
inspiration and proper perspective. Perhaps some of my
colleagues are familiar with his writings. This was his
election day admonition:
May the immense responsibilities they assume, and the
vows they make when sworn into office, bring them to their
knees with profound humility and unprecedented openness to
You. Save them from the seduction of power, the addiction
of popularity, and the aggrandizement of pride. Lord, keep
their priorities straight: You and their families first;
the good of the Nation second; consensus around truth
third; party loyalties fourth; and personal success last
of all. May they never forget they have been elected to
serve and not to be served.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
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TRIBUTES
TO
GEORGE V. VOINOVICH
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 16 Senators will retire
this year. There is a pretty big turnover in this body,
but that is a lot of Senators at once. We are losing an
enormous amount of talent, but, of course, we are gaining
a lot of talent with the new Senators.
I wish to show my respect for those who have served,
which I will do in a summary fashion because we are
talking about 16 individuals with very complex and
distinguished backgrounds.
One might ask, what are the characteristics of a
Senator? There are a lot of different answers to that,
depending on your background and attitude toward politics
and government. First, I have always thought that one
characteristic of almost every Member of the Senate is
that he or she probably was a first grader sitting in the
front row, hand in the air waiting to be recognized. This
is an eager bunch or you would not have gotten here.
Second, it is a group of risk takers. Most people who
end up in the Senate get here because a lot of other
people who wanted to be Senators were standing around
waiting for the right time to run. A lot of people who
were elected to the Senate seemed to have no chance of
winning at the time they decided to run, but the voters
decided differently, and here they are.
Third, we are almost all professional and congenial.
That is a big help. It is almost a requirement in an
organization of 100 individuals who spend almost all their
time with one another, who serve in a body that operates
by unanimous consent, when just one Senator can bring the
whole place to a halt, and whose job basically is to argue
about some of the most difficult issues that face the
American people. So it helps that almost every Member of
the Senate is an especially congenial person.
Back in Tennessee, people often say to me it must be
rough being in that job. They are awfully mean up there.
The truth is, I don't know of a more congenial group than
the Members of the Senate. We begin the day in the gym.
The next thing you know we are at a Prayer Breakfast, and
then we are at a committee hearing. Then we are on the
floor voting, and then we have lunch. It goes through the
day until 7 or 8 o'clock, or sometimes later. We live
together and we get along very well. We know and respect
each other.
Not long ago, the Presiding Officer (Mr. Udall of New
Mexico) and I were having dinner together with our wives.
We were lamenting the loss of families who know one
another, the way it happened when his father was serving
in Congress and when I first came to the Senate to work
for Senator Baker. And that's true. We've lost some of
that. Still, there is an enormous amount of affection and
good will here. You don't always get to be very close
friends in this job, but you get to be very good
acquaintances, and you learn to respect people for their
strengths.
Senator Domenici said, when he left, that we don't do a
very good job of saying goodbye here. That is true. As one
part of saying goodbye, I wish to say at least one good
thing about each one of the 16 retiring Senators. Much
more could be said about each, of course. Mostly, I am
going in alphabetical order. ...
Senator George Voinovich has been a mayor and a Governor
and a Senator, a strong voice in concerns of federalism.
Federal workers have George to thank for years of
attention to issues involving Federal employees that most
of us were too busy to pay as much attention to. ...
It has been my privilege to serve with these 16
Senators. We thank them for their service to our country.
They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the
world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special
institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope
they will stay in touch with us because they are not just
retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
I yield the floor.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members
have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Mr. HARKIN. With the close of the 111th Congress, the
Senate will lose to retirement one of our most seasoned
and respected Members on the other side of the aisle,
Senator George Voinovich of Ohio.
Senator Voinovich and I have much in common. We are both
proud midwesterners. But here is what we really have in
common: My mother immigrated to America from what is now
Slovenia, the nation of Slovenia, and George's mother was
a first-generation American of Slovenian descent. Both of
us were--and I think we are the only two Senators ever--
awarded the Golden Order of Merit by the Republic of
Slovenia, in part for our efforts to assist Slovenia in
its campaign to rid the world of landmines and to assist
the victims of landmines. We both care very deeply about
the success of democracy in Slovenia, a very small nation
that has set a powerful example of political stability,
economic reform, true democracy, and ethnic inclusiveness
in the Balkans.
For nearly 4\1/2\ decades, George Voinovich has devoted
himself to public service at just about every level of
government--quite amazing--as a member of the Ohio House
of Representatives, Cuyahoga County commissioner, mayor of
Cleveland, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, Governor of Ohio,
and, for the last 12 years, U.S. Senator from the State of
Ohio. Across those 44 years of service, he has been
respected for his independence, his pragmatism, and his
insistence on putting ideology and partisanship aside in
order to accomplish important things for ordinary working
Americans.
Another constant in the career of George Voinovich has
been his insistence on fiscal discipline and his
willingness to advance creative, tough-minded,
nonideological approaches to help government live within
its means. As mayor of Cleveland, he took a municipality
that had recently declared bankruptcy and turned it around
to become a three-time All-America City winner. As
Governor, he returned the State budget to balance despite
a bad economy. And for the last 12 years, he has been one
of the Senate's leading champions of fiscal conservatism.
By that, I mean true fiscal conservatism, which means a
willingness both to cut spending and to raise revenues as
necessary in order to bring down deficits and balance the
books. On that score, on matters of taxing and spending,
Senator Voinovich had the courage to break ranks with his
own party on many occasions.
Our colleague Senator Voinovich has many accomplishments
in this body. I do not have time to mention them all, but
I know he is particularly proud of his work as chair and,
most recently, ranking member of the Clean Air and Nuclear
Safety Subcommittee of the Committee on Environment and
Public Works, wherein he played a key role in passing the
National Energy Security Act of 2009, which is helping our
Nation to lessen its dependence on imported petroleum.
He is also deservedly proud of his long leadership in
the fight to preserve and protect Lake Erie and the other
Great Lakes--a cause that has been a constant throughout
his career in public service. Here in the Senate, he has
been a cochair of the Great Lakes Task Force, and he
introduced a bill that, when signed into law in 2008 by
President Bush, ratified the Great Lakes Compact to
protect these national treasures through better water
management and conservation--a singular accomplishment by
Senator Voinovich of Ohio.
Senator Voinovich has achieved much during his
distinguished career in public service. I could use any
number of superlatives to describe his character and work:
sterling character, an honest individual, someone who,
when he gave you his word, gave you his word. To Senator
Voinovich, a handshake was a handshake. It was a
commitment, and he would never go back. But in my book,
the highest accolade is simply that George Voinovich is a
generous, sincere, decent person, dedicated to public
service, always determined to do the right thing for the
people of Ohio and the entire United States, a person
dedicated to true conservative causes he has championed
all his life.
It has been a great honor to be his friend and colleague
for these last years. Our friendship, of course, will
continue. I wish George and Janet the very best in the
years ahead.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
our colleagues who are departing the Senate after
distinguished service on behalf of their States and on
behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with
these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and
cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them
do what they have done so well--represent their States
with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda
of the Nation forward. ...
To Senator George Voinovich and Janet Voinovich, thank
you so much for what you have done. George Voinovich has
been someone who has really tried to be the watchdog for
all Americans. He has also been an advocate for
infrastructure investment and for early childhood care and
education.
To all of these colleagues and their families, my
deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the
service of another great Federal employee. This is a
tradition that was started by our friend and former
colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on
that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate
the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our
colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his
great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the
colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this
Congress. ...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I rise to pay tribute to
Senator George Voinovich who has served this Chamber and
the people of Ohio with honor over the past 12 years after
an already long career as a devoted public servant. George
has served in the Ohio statehouse, as Ohio's Lieutenant
Governor, as the mayor of Cleveland, as Governor of Ohio,
and as a U.S. Senator. That is quite a record of
accomplishment. When George walks out of the Chamber for
the last time, he will have served 44 years in public
service.
Yet, in a career that has taken him from Cleveland to
Columbus to Washington and around the world, George has
always made time for his family, and no one was surprised
when in January 2009 he announced that he planned to
retire at the end of this year in order to spend more time
with Janet.
George and Janet have been married for nearly half a
century and they have seen a lot together. George grew up
in the same working class neighborhood in Cleveland where
he and Janet still call home today. He attended Collinwood
High School, Ohio University, and Ohio State University
for law school. After practicing law for several years in
Cleveland, he began his political career in 1963 as an
assistant attorney general of Ohio. Three years later, at
the tender age of 30, George was elected to the Ohio
statehouse.
The 1970s was a period of economic turmoil for many
American cities, and Cleveland was no exception. In 1978,
Cleveland became the first American city since the 1930s
to file for bankruptcy, and George, who was serving as the
State's Lieutenant Governor at the time, decided he needed
to do something to help his hometown.
Mounting a challenge to the Democratic incumbent, Dennis
Kucinich, George overcame tough odds and won the race.
Determined to bring the city around and bring Cleveland
out of the economic ditch, George organized a series of
coalitions and public-private partnerships to bring
Cleveland back from the brink. More important, I think
George would tell us he helped restore confidence and
pride to the city.
His motto was ``Together, We Can Do It.'' And they did.
He went on to serve as mayor for an entire decade and
helped close an ugly chapter in Cleveland's history. It
was a remarkable feat. Once called the ``buckle of the
Rust Belt'' and the butt of a lot of late night television
jokes, Cleveland underwent a renaissance under George's
leadership. It paid down a $110 million debt, added
thousands of jobs, brought new development and businesses
downtown, and saw struggling sports franchises transformed
into contenders.
For George, it was never about him. He would never take
full credit for the growth and prosperity Cleveland
enjoyed or the fact that he was named one of the Nation's
top mayors. It was always about the people of Cleveland
working together to make the city they knew and loved
great again.
George's outstanding work as mayor helped him win the
Governor's Mansion in 1990 where he served two terms. He
faced a fiscal mess in Columbus, too, and worked hard to
rein in spending. One of his signature achievements as
Governor was education reform, and in particular the
Cleveland school voucher program which provided thousands
of low-income students with the opportunity for a better
education and ultimately greater opportunities in life.
His record of success as Governor was deep and far-
reaching. He helped restore Ohio's economy, balanced its
budget, and saw unemployment hit a 25-year low. For a job
well done, the voters of Ohio reelected George to a second
term as Governor in 1994 with a remarkable 72 percent of
the vote.
Blocked by term limits from running again for Governor,
George ran for the U.S. Senate in 1998. He took the values
that earned him so much success in Columbus and Cleveland
to Washington. As a Senator, he has been at the forefront
of numerous important national debates. He has been a
leading advocate for an effective and efficient Federal
Government and for simplifying the Tax Code. He has been
involved in legislation to enhance America's
competitiveness around the world, to reform our energy
policy and to ensure America's strength and security.
George has always had my respect and admiration for his
adherence to principle and for his straight-shooting
style. He always told you exactly what was on his mind.
Today we honor our colleague and friend, George
Voinovich, for his nearly 4\1/2\ decades of public
service. We thank Janet and the entire Voinovich family
for sharing him with us, and on behalf of the entire
Senate family, I wish to thank George for his service and
wish him the very best in the years ahead. He will indeed
be missed.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Arizona.
Mr. KYL. Madam President, might I just add a word to
what the Republican leader has just said. As the
Republican whip, it is my job to visit with Senators about
their views on issues and votes that are coming up. I
didn't always like the answer George Voinovich gave me,
but I always knew that, as the leader said, it was a
principled response to a question that reflected his well-
thought-out and deeply felt views about the role of the
government, issues on finance and debt, and generally from
his long experience as having been a public leader at the
State level, as well as the Federal level.
So I join my colleague in paying tribute to an
incredible public service career and especially the time I
have enjoyed working with Senator Voinovich in the Senate.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. VOINOVICH. Madam President, I would like to express
my appreciation to the minority leader and the minority
whip for all of the courtesies they have extended to me
over the last number of years. One of the things, Mitch, I
have enjoyed doing is getting to know you and Elaine. I
watched you become the leader. I think you have done an
outstanding job of keeping your team together. I
appreciate your willingness to answer all of my telephone
calls. Senator Kyl, the same with you. I can't tell you
how much I appreciated that, that we were able to keep an
open dialogue on many of the issues in front of the United
States of America.
I wish to applaud the minority leader for reaching out
to the President. As you know, I don't agree with the
compromise on the tax situation, but I think it is
something that is important for the future of our country.
I have always found that when leaders get together and
spend time thinking about those things that bring them
together rather than those things that divide them, the
people of the State and the Nation benefit from it.
So, again, thank you very much for your kindness to me
over the years, both of you.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, aside from a few college
football Saturdays each fall, Michigan and Ohio share
much. Both States are known for our manufacturing
strength. And both are known for the central role the
Great Lakes play in the daily lives of our citizens. Over
his 12 years in this Chamber, Senator George Voinovich has
demonstrated that these shared interests are far more
important than party labels.
I have had the pleasure of working alongside Senator
Voinovich on these and other important issues. Since 2007,
he has been my cochair on the Great Lakes Task Force, and
he has brought just as much dedication and commitment to
that work as you would expect from an Ohioan, lover of our
lakes, and expert angler. Recently, the greatest issue
facing the Great Lakes has been the threat of invasive
species, and especially Asian carp, which could devastate
Great Lakes ecosystems if they make their way up the
Mississippi River Valley. His strong advocacy for
protecting the Lakes helped yield an important victory
just last month with passage of the Asian Carp Prevention
and Control Act, which added the bighead carp to the list
of species prohibited from import into the United States.
Senator Voinovich was instrumental in helping ensure
passage of the Great Lakes Compact, which protects the
waters of the Great Lakes from diversion. He helped secure
more than $200 million in funding for cleanup of
contaminated sediments under the Great Lakes Legacy Act.
He has been my valued partner in introducing the Great
Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act, which would provide
important tools and funding to address a wide range of
environmental concerns on the Lakes. Senator Voinovich
also recognizes the integral role the Lakes play in our
States' economies, and so has been at the forefront of
efforts to promote shipping and commerce on the Lakes.
In addition to his impressive legacy on Great Lakes
issues, Senator Voinovich has been a thoughtful and
effective advocate for our States' manufacturers. He and I
cochair the Senate Auto Caucus, and in this role, he has
done much to ensure that the domestic auto industry, the
backbone of American manufacturing, remains strong. He has
been a powerful voice in the Senate for ensuring that U.S.
manufacturers, including our auto industry, are able to
fully participate in overseas markets, just as foreign
companies are given access to our markets; his opposition
to unfair aspects of a proposed free trade agreement with
South Korea is just one recent example of that advocacy.
It is no surprise that in his work on these issues,
Senator Voinovich has been motivated by the interests of
his State and our Nation, and not the desire to score
partisan points. He has throughout his time in the
Senate--and before, when serving as a mayor and Governor--
demonstrated the ability to find areas of bipartisan
agreement, even when he faced political pressure to walk
the party line. To cite just a recent example: He was one
of a handful of Republicans to cross party lines and vote
for the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, which provided
important new tools to help small businesses grow and
provide the jobs we need to get our economy going.
On these and other issues, I have had the opportunity to
work closely with Senator Voinovich. I will miss him when
we return in January. He has been a powerful and
principled advocate for his State. The people of my State
have benefited greatly from his work on issues of common
interest between Michigan and Ohio. And I have benefited
greatly from his wisdom, friendship, and teamwork.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to ask my
colleagues to join me today in recognizing the service of
a fellow Senator and friend, Senator George Voinovich. He
has spent over four decades as a public servant and has
been a tireless advocate for the State of Ohio.
Senator Voinovich started his career in public service
in 1967 when he served as a member of the Ohio House of
Representatives. He then went on to serve as a county
commissioner, the mayor of Cleveland, and as the Governor
of Ohio. In 1998, he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Having worked extensively in local government, Senator
Voinovich understood first hand the importance of Federal
investment in infrastructure before he ever arrived in
Washington.
Senator Voinovich has served with me on the Environment
and Public Works Committee since the 106th Congress, 1999.
Throughout his career, he has been a great advocate for
transportation. As the ranking member of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee during the
111th Congress, he helped us ensure ongoing investment in
Federal highway, transit, and highway safety programs, and
the jobs that those investments create.
In hearings, Senator Voinovich has frequently
highlighted the importance of investing in infrastructure
at all levels of government and often called on his
colleagues to support passage of a new long-term surface
transportation authorization at increased funding levels.
He and his staff have contributed to the efforts of our
committee to draft a new surface transportation
authorization. Senator Voinovich's passion for these
issues was influential among his colleagues on the
Environment and Public Works Committee, and will help
guide us as we move forward on new transportation
legislation.
During his service on the Environment and Public Works
Committee, Senator Voinovich has also been an advocate for
investing in America's water resources and protecting
water quality. I was also pleased to join him as a
cosponsor of the Clean Coastal Health and Public Health
Act, which helps to ensure our Nation's beaches are safe
for swimming and recreation.
I am also grateful for his partnership in supporting
investment in America's ports, which are important
economic drivers in both Ohio and California, and are
vital to the national economy.
Senator Voinovich's service on the Environment and
Public Works Committee will have a lasting impact both in
the State of Ohio, and across the Nation. I want to extend
my best wishes to Senator Voinovich and his family in his
retirement, and express my gratitude for his many years of
hard work and dedication to public service.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wish to say a brief word
about George Voinovich. I have watched him for many years.
He has an outstanding record. He is a Senator from the
State of Ohio who came to Washington with as many
credentials as anyone could have: a member of the State
legislature, the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio,
mayor of the city of Cleveland, and now a U.S. Senator. He
has a wonderful family.
The thing George Voinovich brought to Washington a lot
of people don't recognize because of his quiet manner is
his work ethic. He gets up very early every morning and
works on what is necessary in the Senate. He studies the
bills. He is aware of the issues that are before the
Senate on any given occasion. Nothing gets past him. He
always is up to date on everything we are doing.
I haven't agreed with Senator Voinovich on lots of
different issues, but he has a quality that we all need to
have: You never have to guess where he stands on an issue.
He will always tell you how he feels. That has been a
tremendous help to me. There have been occasions when his
vote has been so very important for, I believe, the
Senate, the State of Ohio, and certainly the country. He
always tells you how he feels, what he is going to do, and
once he makes up his mind, that is what he is going to do.
I admire him very much.
I have had such good feelings about people coming from
Ohio. I had the good fortune to serve here with John
Glenn, a man we all know, one of America's all-time great
leaders. Ohio produces very good people, at least from my
experience in the Senate--Senator Metzenbaum, and now
Sherrod Brown with us. I will not run through a list of
everyone.
I certainly want the Record to reflect, prior to Senator
Voinovich's final speech today, how much I respect him as
a legislator and as a person. I appreciate his friendship
and hope in the years to come we can still work together
on issues for the country.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, as Ohio's junior
Senator, I wish to add my remarks, as well as I am able,
to the comments of Senator Voinovich (see farewell
address, page vii). He didn't talk much about himself and
his career, and I will do that for a moment.
In his almost 50 years of public service, he always has
been his own man, whether as a State legislator, county
auditor, a county commissioner of Cuyahoga County,
Lieutenant Governor, mayor of Cleveland, Governor of Ohio,
and now his 12 years in the Senate. He has always been his
own man. He was rewarded in some sense when, as a 1958
graduate of Ohio University, the school created the
Voinovich School of Leadership in Public Affairs. It is
not often that a State university or any public entity
names something after someone still in office,
particularly something as prestigious as the Voinovich
School of Leadership. I have visited it many times. There
are always stimulating discussions that are uplifting to
the public discourse. I thank Senator Voinovich for that.
No matter how high George Voinovich rose, he always
lived with his wife Janet and his children and
grandchildren nearby in Collinwood, OH, in the same house,
the same neighborhood in Cleveland, never forgetting where
he came from. That tells me a lot about him as a public
official.
He likes to say, reflecting on our State's tremendous
potential, ``the rust is off the belt,'' as people used to
refer to Cleveland as the Rust Belt but now see it as so
much more. It is going to be the first place in the Nation
with a field of wind turbines on the fresh water of Lake
Erie. Clearly, this city has turned around. This is, in
some significant measure, due to the efforts of Mayor and
Governor and Senator George Voinovich.
There are four things I particularly think of when I
think of George Voinovich. First is Janet. Janet often
travels back and forth with George, and I see both of them
on our flight from Cleveland to Washington. Janet has
always been at his side, whether as First Lady or as his
loving life's partner. The relationship they have is
inspiring to Connie and me and many others. We thank you
most importantly for that, George.
Second, when I think about the career of George
Voinovich, I think of what he brought to this body--the
perspective of an executive, of a Governor and a mayor.
That is something many of us look to--Governor Shaheen,
now Senator Shaheen, and soon-to-be Governor Brownback. It
helps in our deliberations that someone has had the
experience as a big city mayor in challenging times, and
Governor of Ohio and, perhaps a less challenging time but
a challenging time nonetheless, from the perspective that
George Voinovich has brought as a chief executive coming
to the Senate, sharing those thoughts and ideas with
legislators.
Third is Lake Erie. If you live in northern Ohio or in
the right places in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Michigan
and Indiana and Illinois and New York and Pennsylvania,
you think about the Great Lake you live near. In northern
Ohio there is an old story. I grew up about 75 miles from
the lake, and George grew up much closer. There is
something about people who have grown up within 10 miles
of Lake Erie. You can ask them wherever they are, which
way is north, and they always seem to know.
From what he has done with Asian carp and his belief in
the importance of our greatest national resource, the five
Great Lakes, his commitment is always to maintaining the
pristine quality of that lake in terms of recreation, in
terms of drinking water, in terms of industry, in terms of
all the things that the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie,
do for Cleveland and everything in between. George
Voinovich gets much credit for that.
Fourth, George Voinovich is always elevating the
discussion about the quality of the Federal workforce. The
term ``public servant,'' unfortunately, doesn't mean in
the public's mind what it used to; partly deserved,
perhaps, because of some people's missteps or worse, but
mostly because people run campaigns against the
government, whatever the reasons there. The term ``public
servant'' is so important to George Voinovich, and he has
done more than just mouth the words and compliment
workers, which he has done often and deservedly. I applaud
him for that. He has played a major role in shining the
light on how we improve our Federal workforce. How do we
give them opportunities for advancement, how do we do
training, attract the right people to public service. I
still think we have a terrific public workforce. Whether
it is at the city, county, State, or Federal level, it is
of high quality. And, in the great majority of cases, that
is because of a few--and I say a very few--public servants
such as George Voinovich who have kept the public
spotlight on government service. I know Ralph Regula, the
Congressman from Canton who retired in 2008, has shared a
lot of those thoughts and ideas and continues to in his
retirement with Senator Voinovich.
Whether it is his work on Lake Erie or his contributions
here, he has certainly made the Senate of the United
States a better place. He has made the United States of
America a better country. I thank him for that, as my
senior Senator.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Kansas.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to
my colleague. What a great gentleman. This is an august
body, a wonderful place, a delightful place to serve. It
has great issues before it. There are people who are
gentlemen and gentleladies in it who conduct themselves in
one of the highest regards and highest abilities. And when
I think of that, I think of George Voinovich. He is a
really good guy, a real gentleman in the Senate, and a man
who lives his faith, believes it, which is tough to do in
this body. It is tough to do in any position in life. Yet
he does it and has done it for over four decades in public
service to the people in the State of Ohio and the people
of the United States. That is quite a tribute.
He and his wife I get to see often. When I think of the
expression ``two people becoming one,'' I don't know if I
could describe it any better than the Voinoviches, how two
become one.
The smile is the same. The look is the same. The
attitude is just a wonderful togetherness that the two of
them live. At a time when marriages have a lot of
difficulties, it is great to see an example of somebody in
high office who has lived in public life for over four
decades and then has this oneness in their marital
relationship. I think they both have served in that
capacity, whether it is for their family or for the people
of Ohio or the United States.
Living publicly the right way and living privately the
right way are both beautiful attributes and difficult
things to be able to get done, and it is great to be able
to see it happen. For that, I give great tribute to a
wonderful American, George Voinovich.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, thank you very much.
Mr. President, George Voinovich and I served as
Governors together for 6 years. He chaired the National
Governors Association, and he was good enough to let me be
his vice chairman. I got here and, lo and behold--in fact,
for a while he chaired a national dropout prevention
program called Jobs for America's Graduates. I was his
vice chairman. He chaired a subcommittee on the
Environment and Public Works Committee, the Subcommittee
on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, and I got to be his vice
chairman. So I am used to being his second banana. But I
love the guy, and I have learned an enormous amount from
him.
He is one of those people who really, every day, tries
to say: What is the right thing to do--not the easy thing
to do, not the expedient thing to do, but what is the
right thing to do? He is the kind of person where we go to
the Bible study group that meets about every Thursday with
the Chaplain and some of our colleagues, and we are always
reminded by Barry Black that the Golden Rule is treat
other people the way we want to be treated. It is the
CliffsNotes of the New Testament, and George really
personifies that. He treats everybody the way he would
want to be treated.
He is a person who focuses on excellence in everything
he has done--as mayor, as Governor, and here in the U.S.
Senate--and he is always looking for ways to do better
what he does and calls on the rest of us to do the same.
Finally, this guy is tenacious. He does not give up. If
he thinks he is right and he knows he is right, just get
out of the way, and you know he is going to prevail.
He has wonderful folks on his staff who are here with
him today, and we salute all of you. He knows how to pick
good people and turn them loose and really to inspire them
and us.
I do not think Janet is here today. Maybe she is
watching on television. I hope so. But to her and their
family, thanks very, very much for sharing with us an
extraordinary human being.
We love you, George.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the printing of tributes be modified to
provide that Members have until sine die of the 111th
Congress, 2d session, to submit tributes and that the
order for printing remain in effect.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mr. DODD. I rise today to honor Senator George
Voinovich, my colleague from Ohio who has served with me
in this body for 12 years. Senator Voinovich has had a
distinguished career in Ohio politics, spanning every
level of government. His work as a public servant began
when he was a bright young assistant attorney general, and
has taken him through the Ohio House of Representatives,
the mayor's office in Cleveland, the Ohio Governor's
Mansion and the U.S. Senate.
Not only will Senator Voinovich be remembered for the
more than four decades of service to his fellow Ohioans
but also for his bipartisanship. He was never afraid to
put his beliefs ahead of party, opposing President Bush's
$750 million tax cut proposal in 2003, for example.
I was especially proud to work with Senator Voinovich on
legislation to help ensure the United States' continued
dominance in the world aeronautics industry. Our bill, the
Aeronautics Competitiveness Act of 2007, increased
research funding, technology transfer, and workforce
development, all of which are vital to maintaining the
United States' competitive edge. I was also proud to have
served on the Foreign Relations Committee with him for 5
years, working to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, NATO.
Senator Voinovich was known as the resident Senate
``debt hawk'' and has long stood for fiscal responsibility
at the local, State, and Federal levels.
It has been a pleasure to serve with Senator Voinovich.
As we depart the Senate, I know this body will miss the
presence of one of its more esteemed Members, and the
people of Ohio will miss one of their most dedicated
servants. I wish him and his wife Janet many more years of
happiness.
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell
to a number of our friends and colleagues who are ending
their service in the Senate. Their contributions are too
numerous to mention, therefore I would like to take just a
few minutes to highlight some of the memories of the
Senators I came to know personally.
Some of the departing Senators I have served with for
decades. Others were here for only part of a term. All of
them worked hard for their constituents and our country.
...
I would like to pay tribute to my dear friend and
brother, Senator George Voinovich, as he prepares to
retire from public life after more than 40 years of
dedicated public service.
Senator Voinovich's retirement is a sad occasion for me,
and it is difficult to put into words what Senator
Voinovich's friendship has meant to me over the years.
Senator Voinovich and I have worked so well together on
the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government
Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of
Columbia, for many years, where we have both had the honor
of serving as chairman. It has truly been a pleasure to
serve with him as we have addressed so many difficult
government management issues.
Senator Voinovich's background as the Governor of Ohio
and the mayor of the city of Cleveland provided him with a
unique perspective on the Federal Government's management
and workforce challenges, and I believe his vast
experience made our subcommittee more effective. On a
light note, I know that one of Senator Voinovich's
proudest moments as Governor was watching his beloved
Cleveland baseball team reach the World Series for the
first time in over 40 years. I am sure that Senator
Voinovich will enjoy having more time to spend in his
hometown of Cleveland during his retirement.
Senator Voinovich can take his grandchildren to see
parks, buildings, and other improvements he helped bring
about in Ohio during his time as mayor and Governor, but
there are few similar opportunities in Federal Government
oversight and management. The tough management issues we
have tackled seldom make front page news. But that is what
makes Senator Voinovich remarkable. He chose to focus on
the details of the government's toughest management
challenges rather than more glamorous issues.
Like me, Senator Voinovich has always recognized that
the Federal Government's most valuable resource is its
workforce of dedicated men and women. I often refer to him
as the ``father of human capital.'' We have worked closely
together on a large number of workforce initiatives, with
the common goal of making the Federal Government the
employer of choice in this country. I am especially proud
of our work to reform the broken Federal hiring process. I
will keep fighting in Congress for our bill--the Federal
Hiring Process Improvement Act, S. 736. In the meantime, I
am pleased that our joint oversight on this issue has
spurred considerable progress in the executive branch.
Senator Voinovich and I also worked together on an
amendment to last year's National Defense Authorization
Act, which included my Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity
Assurance Act, along with several other Federal workforce
provisions. I cannot overstate how much Senator
Voinovich's support for providing retirement equity has
meant to the thousands of Federal employees in my home
State of Hawaii.
Senator Voinovich simply has too many Federal workforce
accomplishments to discuss all of them today. However, I
would like to point out that he authored the Federal
Workforce Flexibility Act to modernize Federal human
capital planning, pay, and benefits; the Federal Employee
Student Loan Assistance Act; the Senior Executive Service
Performance Improvement Act; and many other important
bills that have improved the government's ability to
provide services.
In addition to his focus on important workforce issues,
Senator Voinovich has worked tirelessly on complicated
management challenges. Our subcommittee has held a total
of seven hearings on reforming the security clearance
process. This work has been a tremendous success,
eliminating the clearance backlog, dramatically reducing
processing times, and improving investigation quality.
These improvements enhance our national security and help
the Federal Government hire the right people for the right
jobs.
I am also proud of our work together in establishing
chief management officers at the Department of Defense and
the Department of Homeland Security. It is vital that we
maintain strong focus on management at these critical
departments. I could easily point to so many other things
that Senator Voinovich has accomplished during his Senate
service.
I want to express my deep appreciation to Senator
Voinovich for his friendship and partnership over the
years. He has been a model public servant, and our country
is a better and safer place because of his work. I wish
Senator Voinovich, his lovely wife Janet, and his entire
family joy and happiness during his richly deserved
retirement.
In closing, the end of this Congress is bittersweet,
with so many talented and dedicated public servants
leaving this institution. All of them made a lasting
impact on the Senate and on our country. Mahalo nui loa,
thank you, for all your work.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment
to recognize our retiring colleague from Ohio, Senator
George Voinovich.
George Voinovich has led a remarkable life of public
service, stretching across all levels of government.
Beginning in 1963, Senator Voinovich has made the people
of Ohio his priority, serving as an assistant attorney
general in Ohio, a member of the Ohio House of
Representatives, Cuyahoga County commissioner, Lieutenant
Governor of Ohio, mayor of Cleveland, Governor of Ohio,
and finally, U.S. Senator.
Throughout his career, Senator Voinovich has been a
steady hand, guiding Ohio through difficult times. As
mayor, he led the city of Cleveland out of bankruptcy and
mismanagement through smart budgeting and pragmatic
governing. As Governor, he led Ohio out of a recession and
into more prosperous times, holding the State budget's
growth to its lowest level in 30 years and overseeing the
State's lowest unemployment rate in 25 years.
As Senator, he continued his commitment to fiscal
responsibility, focusing on this country's exploding debt
and long-term challenges. Senator Voinovich also fought
for reform of our tax and entitlement systems as author of
the SAFE Commission Act and cosponsor of the Conrad-Gregg
Bipartisan Task Force for Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Warning about our Nation's fiscal crisis at a Budget
Committee hearing in 2009, he testified courageously:
We must find a compromise and we must act now. Many
people believe that this generation of Americans will be
the first whose standard of living will be less than those
before them. Our failure to act now will guarantee that
they are right.
With Senator Voinovich's retirement, the Senate is
losing one of its strongest and clearest voices on the
importance of fiscal responsibility today to keep our
country strong and growing into the future.
I was also pleased to join with Senator Voinovich in
introducing the Truth in Budgeting Act. Our bill would
have put a stop to the fiscally reckless practice of using
trust fund surpluses to pay for tax cuts and other
spending priorities. Senator Voinovich always recognized
that our current fiscal policies are putting future
generations in the position of having to borrow trillions
of dollars to make good on our Social Security, Medicare,
and other commitments.
I have always respected his commitment to principle and
his willingness to take independent positions, regardless
of popularity or political expedience. He has rejected the
knee-jerk partisan politics that unfortunately have taken
hold of Washington over the past decade, opting instead
for reasonable, levelheaded discourse. Always willing to
reach across the aisle, Senator Voinovich has spent his 12
years in the Senate being an honest broker and a true
public servant. He will be greatly missed.
I wish a happy and healthy retirement to George and his
wife of 48 years, Janet, and congratulate him on an
outstanding career.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in
appreciation and admiration of Senator George Voinovich.
Senator Voinovich represents the great State of Ohio--
and in some sense he has never left. He was born and
raised in Cleveland, earned a bachelor of arts degree in
government from Ohio University, and received a law degree
from the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State
University. After more than four decades of public
service, he and Janet still live in Cleveland with their
family.
Before coming to Washington, Senator Voinovich
established a long record of service to the people of the
Buckeye State: as a member of the State legislature, a
Cuyahoga County commissioner, the Lieutenant Governor of
Ohio, mayor of Cleveland and Governor of Ohio. As mayor of
Cleveland, he helped turn around the local economy after
the city declared bankruptcy in the 1970s. As Governor,
George spearheaded economic recovery efforts after Ohio
fell into a recession during the early 1990s. He helped
reduce Ohio's unemployment rate to a 25-year low and
maintained the lowest budgetary growth levels in 30 years.
Along the way, he became the only person to hold the
highest leadership positions in both the National
Governors Association and the National League of Cities.
The people of Ohio sent George to Washington to serve in
the U.S. Senate in 1998 and then reelected him 6 years ago
in a landslide victory. Senator Voinovich's policy
accomplishments reflect his dedication to maintaining
fiscal responsibility, enhancing national security,
increasing America's global competitiveness, and improving
the Federal Government's efficiency. His Mortgage Relief
Act of 2007 was the first piece of legislation to be
signed into law that aimed to lessen the impact of
America's foreclosure crisis.
Senator Voinovich has also been a strong voice for
America's interests and values all over the world. He has
been a strong proponent of NATO expansion, U.N. reform,
and U.S. public diplomacy efforts. He has also spoken out
strongly against global anti-Semitism, racism, and other
forms of intolerance.
Sandy and I wish all the best to George and Janet, as
well as their three children and eight grandchildren. And
we thank George for his many years of service in the U.S.
Senate.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, when George Voinovich came
to the Senate in 1998, he brought with him a wealth of
experience as a State legislator, county commissioner,
mayor, and Governor. More important, he brought an
independent mind, common sense, and a commitment to
results.
Through more than four decades of public service, he has
always been guided by the principle that a fundamental
obligation of government is to honor its responsibilities
to citizens. His goal has always been to ensure that those
in public office ``work harder and smarter, and do more
with less.''
But Senator Voinovich is revered here and at home for
deeds, not words. As mayor, he brought Cleveland back from
bankruptcy and led its transformation into a three-time
All-America City. As Governor, he steered Ohio through the
recession of the early 1990s, turned a State budget in the
red back to black, and helped rebuild Ohio's industry and
infrastructure for the 21st century.
From his executive background in local and State
government, Senator Voinovich knew that any government is
only as good as the people working for it. He has been a
strong advocate for improved government management, and
for recruiting, retaining, rewarding, and recognizing the
best government workforce.
It has been my privilege to work closely with Senator
Voinovich on the Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee. He is devoted to protecting our Nation
and our people.
Our committee's work was aided greatly by his leadership
of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management,
and his conviction that government works only when it
ensures that the right people have the right resources to
get the job done. He has been instrumental in virtually
every major civil service issue for more than a decade and
has championed 17 pieces of legislation to transform and
improve our Federal workforce.
Since coming to Washington, the ``Workforce Senator''
has been a watchdog for the interests of the taxpayers and
of government employees. Early in his service, the Senior
Executive Service Performance Improvement Act and the
Chief Human Capital Officers Act recognized that the
Federal Government must compete if it is to attract the
best. In this Congress, the Federal Hiring Process
Improvement Act addressed the need to streamline
recruiting so that the right person can be hired at the
right time.
And his efforts have been successful. A recent Federal
employee survey on the best places to work found that the
top three agencies--the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
GAO, and NASA--are the agencies with the personnel
flexibilities Senator Voinovich worked to achieve.
I know how deeply George Voinovich cares about the men
and women who serve as Federal employees because on many
issues we have fought together. In particular, I want to
recognize his role in pressing for pay for performance
reforms in our Federal workforce. If we want an effective
government, we must encourage excellence in our workforce,
as Senator Voinovich clearly understands.
He has been an effective voice for fiscal discipline,
for comprehensive tax and entitlement reform, and for
enhancing America's competitiveness in a global economy.
All of these issues and so many more demonstrate his
commitment to honoring responsibilities and achieving
results.
When Senator Voinovich announced early last year that he
would not seek reelection, the outpouring of tributes was
heartfelt and bipartisan. As one Ohio newspaper wrote,
``Once he latches onto an issue, he doesn't let go until
he is satisfied with the outcome.''
Senator Voinovich's determination, combined with wisdom,
experience, and decency, made him an outstanding U.S.
Senator and public servant. I thank George Voinovich for
his years of service and for his friendship, and wish him
and Janet all the best in the years to come.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, at the end of each session of
Congress, as is our tradition, we take a moment to say
goodbye and express our appreciation to those Members who
will be returning home at the end of the year. I know we
will miss them and the contributions they have made over
the years to the debates and deliberations they have
participated in on the Senate floor and in committee. One
retiring Member I know I will especially miss is George
Voinovich.
If ever it could be said of someone that they have never
lost touch with their roots, it would be said of George.
George was raised on Cleveland's East Side, and he still
lives there. His dad was an architect, and his mother was
a schoolteacher. For his own part, until he was in his
teens, George was determined to be a doctor. As he grew
up, he found that he didn't get along very well with
science, so right about then his direction and his focus
changed. Fortunately for Cleveland and all of Ohio, George
then decided that someday he would run for mayor and for
Governor, which put him on the path that brought him years
later to the U.S. Senate.
Those were big dreams for someone who up until then had
only his success as high school class president to show on
his political resume. That was also the time when his
fellow classmates voted him most likely to succeed. It
must have served as his inspiration because he proved them
right. Over the years George proved to be a success at
just about everything he set his mind to. That helped him
to accomplish just about all that he had predicted and
much, much more.
As any observer knows, one of the constant themes that
runs through George's political career has been his
determination to be a good steward of the resources we
have been blessed to receive. It unsettles him to see
waste of any kind, especially when it comes to our budget
and the funds taxpayers all across the country send to
Washington to run our government.
At each post he has served--mayor, Governor, and now, in
the Senate--people have looked to him for his leadership
and his willingness to make the tough choices that must be
made if we are to provide our children with a fair chance
to live their own version of the American dream. George
has warned us more than once that if we continue to spend
so much of our children's future resources, we will leave
them with a huge debt and an economy so weak and sluggish
as to offer them little hope of ever freeing themselves
from it. We ought to listen to him and take his advice--
for our sake and theirs.
George has been a remarkable public servant, and he has
served at many different levels of government throughout
his career. I know he would be the first to say he
wouldn't have been able to do all that without the person
he calls the greatest blessing he has received in life by
his side. That person is his wife Janet, who has been his
greatest source of support and guidance for 48 years.
Together they have made a difference wherever they have
been.
In the years to come, I will always remember and admire
all you did as Governor of Ohio with such a perfect First
Lady by your side. I have a hunch you were such a great
vote getter because you had an advantage--a lot of people
voted for you because they were also voting for her.
Looking back, we both served as mayors in our home
States. When we did we had to find a way to pay for
everything. That is why I always had an appreciation for
the way you examined every detail of each issue through
the lens of your background and how the people back home
would feel about it.
Diana joins in sending our best wishes to you both and
our thanks and appreciation for all you have done for Ohio
and the Nation during your many years of public service.
Good luck in all your future endeavors. Keep in touch.
You'll be missed. It just won't be the same around here
without you.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my
friend and colleague, Senator George Voinovich. Over the
past 12 years I have had the opportunity to work with
Senator Voinovich on many issues that impact our adjoining
States and this Nation. While working with Senator
Voinovich, I gained respect for his firm commitment to his
principles.
Prior to our time together in the Senate, I only knew of
Senator Voinovich through his reputation as mayor of
Cleveland and Governor of Ohio. In these positions, he cut
spending, fought corruption, and created jobs. These
experiences taught Senator Voinovich how to make tough
decisions, and he never lost that quality here in the
Senate.
Senator Voinovich also never forgot his roots. As a
child of Yugoslavian parents, the Senator never lost
interest in the Balkans, and through his work on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he made sure that this
region was not forgotten by the U.S. Government. I also
worked closely with him on Department of Energy issues
because Ohio and Kentucky have neighboring DOE uranium
sites.
Although Senator Voinovich accomplished many things in
his life, his greatest achievement has been as a father
and husband. George and his wife Janet have been married
for over 47 years. I wish him nothing but the best as he
embarks on a new chapter in his life.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to join in paying
tribute to my longtime good friend and colleague, Senator
George Voinovich of Ohio. In the U.S. Constitution, our
Founding Fathers made it clear that there is no one clear
path, background, or station in life that leads to serving
in the U.S. Senate. There is an age requirement and a
residency stipulation and no more. That said, if ever
there were a job description for being a Senator, it
occurs to me that a model example we should consider is
that of Senator George Voinovich.
Senator Voinovich's depth and breadth of wisdom,
knowledge, and experience about making government work at
all levels which he has harnessed throughout his sterling,
four decade trajectory in public life recall what James
Madison wrote in The Federalist, No. 62, in advocating for
a higher age requirement for Senators than Members of the
House. Madison postulated that the deliberative
disposition of the Senate required a ``greater extent of
information and stability of character.'' I don't think
it's too far of a stretch to say that James Madison must
have had a Senator like George Voinovich in mind when
making this case.
Before Senator Voinovich even stepped onto the floor of
the U.S. Senate he had already been Governor of Ohio,
mayor of Cleveland, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, county
commissioner, auditor, and a member of the Ohio House of
Representatives. With a wealth of insights to draw upon
through many years of public service, George has always
been a force with whom to be reckoned, someone whose
viewpoint and counsel are sought, and whose example is
worthy of being emulated many times over.
My husband Jock, former Governor of Maine, and I first
got to know Senator Voinovich and his wonderful wife of
nearly 50 years, Janet, in the 1990s when Jock and George
were both serving as Governors of their respective States
and active in the National Governors Association. In
Ohio's State capital of Columbus, George was building on
his enormous success as mayor of Cleveland where he
inherited a stagnant economy, rejuvenated it through
fiscal discipline and acumen and public-private
partnerships, and forged a three-time All-America City
winner in the 1980s.
George made similar, remarkable strides as Governor,
where, under his watch, unemployment hit a 25-year low and
600,000 new jobs were created. Many accolades were
bestowed upon George for his accomplishments at the State
level, and they were all well-earned to say the least. In
fact, he is still the only individual to serve as both
chairman of the National Governors Association and
president of the National League of Cities.
There are many laudatory characterizations of Senator
Voinovich that have already been expressed by my
colleagues, and there are certainly some that come to
mind, especially as a highly regarded U.S. Senator--
thoughtful, independent, principled, rigorous, courageous,
and pragmatic. With George, you always knew where he stood
on an issue and frankly where you stood with him. In an
institution whose very foundation is built upon trust and
forging relationships, George was someone you could count
on time and time again.
To say that Senator Voinovich was a workhorse in this
Chamber from day one is an understatement to be sure. His
word is as good as gold--and as they say, you can take it
to the bank. If he shook your hand on a deal, that was all
that was required. The fact is, they don't make enough
legislators or public servants like Senator Voinovich
anymore. Like the Ohio State flag, the only one in the
United States not shaped like a rectangle, George has been
and will always be, one of a kind.
I can tell this Chamber from firsthand experience, there
was no one you would rather be in the trenches with in the
Senate, especially when the stakes were high, than George.
I will never forget--and I know George won't either--how
we stood side by side as stewards of fiscal accountability
during the tax cut debate in 2003. We were certain that
reducing taxes and hewing to our budget concerns did not
have to be mutually exclusive--that we could champion
billions in tax cuts without jeopardizing our Nation's
fiscal future by proposing offsets.
The fact is, once Senator Voinovich determined to chart
a particular course, he was not easily dissuaded--and
rightfully earned a reputation for being tireless and
relentless in his pursuits. His moral fiber, character,
and integrity can be traced back to being the grandson of
Serbian and Slovenian immigrants who crossed the Atlantic
from Croatia at the turn of the century. As a proud Greek-
American whose parents emigrated from Greece, I see in
George the same stalwart work ethic so prevalent in my own
roots and culture growing up in Maine.
Senator Voinovich once said that ``doing a good job at
running your government is the best politics,'' and that
``people just want you to get the job done.'' For him,
these weren't platitudes worthy of a government class,
they have been truly organizing tenets that have shaped a
distinguished 40-year tenure of serving the common good
for Ohioans and the Nation.
In the Senate, when others refused to reach across the
aisle, Senator Voinovich understood that doing so made the
system work, especially for those who elected us in the
first place--the American people. When political
scorekeeping and posturing have ruled the day, Senator
Voinovich has managed to transcend the short-term efforts
to jockey for position in favor of immersing himself in
the substance of the policy with the intention of
championing it or opposing it based on the facts, not
political sway or the temper of the times. The legacy of
George's clear voice of reason and brave vision in this
body will extend into the next Congress and for Congresses
to come. My only regret is that the Senate could use more
George Voinoviches, not fewer.
For all of his dedicated public service to his Buckeye
State and this great land, undoubtedly, George will tell
you that his greatest achievement is his marriage of 48
years to his beloved wife Janet, their three children, and
eight grandchildren. I wish them all the best.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, when the 111th Congress
draws to a close, we will bid farewell to 16 colleagues
who have collectively given more than 200 years of service
to our Nation through their service in the Senate. These
include seven of the Senate's most experienced Members.
People like Chris Dodd and Arlen Specter who have each
served five terms in the Senate. Kit Bond who has served
four terms and Bob Bennett, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold,
and Judd Gregg, who have each served three terms in this
Chamber. ...
George Voinovich came to the Senate after a
distinguished career that included service as Governor of
the State of Ohio and mayor of the city of Cleveland. He
has made a substantial contribution to the efficient
operation of our Federal Government as a leader of the
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. I
appreciate his support of the effort that Senator Akaka
and I advanced, along with others, to make locality pay
available to Federal employees in Alaska and Hawaii
through the Non-Foreign Act of 2009. ...
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with each
of the people who will leave this Chamber when we adjourn
sine die. Each has made substantial contributions to their
States, to the Nation, and to the Senate during their time
here.