[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO MAYOR SAM HALLOIN

                                 ______


                             HON. TOBY ROTH

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 14, 1995
  Mr. ROTH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a leader who provided 
both a bedrock of stability and a progressive vision for the community 
in which he served.
  After 16 years at City Hall, Mayor Sam Halloin of Green Bay, WI, will 
leave office to begin a well-earned retirement.
  When Sam steps down this spring as the city's longest-serving mayor, 
the citizens of Green Bay will remember him as both a skilled political 
tactician and as a scupltor who shaped the city of Green Bay for nearly 
a generation.
  As the guide of a changing city, it has been said that Sam tied all 
the loose ends together both in the community and in city council 
chambers, where he often encountered disagreement but never turned down 
an opportunity to listen to another's point of view.
  From the beginning of his political career, Sam dedicated himself to 
considering all sides of an argument, announcing in his bid for the 
mayor's office: ``I do not have the answers to all the problems that 
face us, but I will work actively for an honest government that will be 
responsible and objective in its service to the public.''
  Apparently, that was exactly what the people of Green Bay were 
looking for. They elected him to lead their city in 1979, defeating 
former Mayor Thomas Atkinson.
  Sam's political career began in 1962 when he was first elected to 
city council. In 1974 he was elected city council president and served 
for two terms. He also served two terms as Brown County board chairman 
before announcing his candidacy for mayor in 1978.
  In each of his successive mayoral terms, Sam Halloin added to a list 
of accomplishments with wide-ranging benefits to the city and people of 
Green Bay.
  His successful completion of city projects such as the Old Fort 
Square development, East Town Mall and the industrial park created jobs 
and provided a boost to the local economy while many cities suffered 
through a recession.
  Mayor Halloin helped transform Green Bay into an even more popular 
tourism and business destination with the construction of the Embassy 
Suites and Regency Conference Center.
  He also was successful in negotiating the construction of a $6 
million State office building in downtown Green Bay, drawing hundreds 
of workers into the downtown area and creating a positive ripple effect 
in the local economy.
  Always eager to share the credit, Mayor Halloin admitted recently 
that ``as Mayor, you don't do anything on your own. You do it by 
working with others, and either you get the support of the Council or 
you don't.''
  Mayor Sam Halloin is still drawing the support necessary for creating 
jobs in the community. In the past year, Sam helped bring a large-scale 
revitalization proposal for the Broadway neighborhood to passage, and 
has guided city purchases of riverfront property to be sold to private 
owners.
  Sam's dedication to the economic well-being of Green Bay and its 
residents will not be forgotten. Fortunately, the community will 
benefit from Sam's vision and initiative for years to come. In his 
years of service, he pointed Green Bay down a secure path to the 21st 
Century without compromising the hometown feel and neighborly spirit of 
this great Northeast Wisconsin community.
  I wish to commend Mayor Sam Halloin for his years of hard work and 
service to the city of Green Bay, and wish him well as he faces the new 
challenges that await him outside City Hall.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield the floor.
  

                          ____________________