[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17546-S17547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO DON PEOPLES

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, in Montana, we call Butte the Can-Do City. 
And there is nobody who personifies Butte's can-do spirit more than its 
former chief executive, my friend, Don Peoples.
  Butte's paper, the Montana Standard, recently ran an article about 
Don's career in Butte. Don is a modest person; a man of few words. And 
I suspect he is a little bit uncomfortable with all this attention. But 
it is attention he richly deserves.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Montana Standard 
article be printed in the Record. And I ask my colleagues to take a 
moment to read about how a remarkable man has made such a difference 
for his community and home State.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Montana Standard, Nov. 27, 1995]

                  Perseverance That Twarted Hard Times

                         (By Erin P. Billings)

       Don Peoples still remembers the day in 1983 that shocked 
     Butte and sent its economy spinning downward without warning.
       The former Butte-Silver Bow County chief executive was 
     driving back from Seattle, and made a phone call to his 
     office--word was the Anaconda Co. was shutting down its Butte 
     mines and laying off nearly 1,000 workers. Peoples was 
     devastated.
       ``Nobody thought it was going to happen,'' the 56-year-old 
     Butte native remembers, shaking his head in disbelief. ``That 
     was a devastating day for a lot of people.''
       ``I saw so many people hurting,'' he says.
       Many long-time Butte residents were struggling to find work 
     and flocking elsewhere for jobs. And Peoples, who was sitting 
     at the helm of Butte's government knew it was up to him to 
     restore citizens faith and turn the economy around.
       In 1985, ARCO sold the Continental Pit mine to Missoula 
     multimillionaire Dennis Washington--restoring the copper 
     mining legacy and some 325 good-paying jobs to the area. 
     Peoples, many say, was key in bringing that sale to fruition.
       ``The tax base was eroding, people were leaving--the major 
     element of an economic decline,'' says Evan Barrett, 
     executive director of the Butte Local Development Corp. ``He 
     kind of carried this city by its boot straps in a time that 
     was really bad.''
       For example, Peoples successfully lobbied to exclude the 
     mine from the boundaries of the active Superfund site; pushed 
     for lower power and freight rates; and helped provide the 
     company with a three-year tax break granted by the state.
       In addition to helping resurrect the mining industry in the 
     1980s, Peoples was instrumental in creating Butte's small 
     business incubator, the U.S. High Altitude Sports Center and 
     the Urban Revitalization Agency, which provides grants to 
     help renovate Butte Uptown buildings.
       By 1988, nine years after Peoples took office, Butte's 
     economy had begun to forge forward and the city received 
     national recognition as a National Civic League ``All-
     American City.'' More than 900 cities nationwide competed for 
     the designation, which 10 cities received that year.
       ``Don has a dogged preservance to get things done,'' says 
     Jack Lynch, who has served as chief executive since 1990. 
     ``He's not someone who can sit and watch.''
       That and Peoples' positive attitude are characteristics 
     Lynch says he tries to emulate as the county's current 
     leader.
       Peoples chose to trade his life in the public eye in 1989 
     for the private sector and a financially attractive 
     opportunity to serve as head of a major Butte research and 
     development firm--MSE Inc.
       A decision, he says, he's never regretted.
       ``You had to be places, when you didn't want to be there,'' 
     the slender, 6-foot-2-inch Peoples says of being county chief 
     executive. ``Now, I have a choice.''
       Although Peoples no longer governs 34,000 residents in 
     Silver Bow County, he is still active in the community and 
     plays the role as a leader to some 200 employees.
       And many of his associates say Peoples' dedication is as 
     impressive as his resume. As a community leader, he holds 
     positions with organizations such as the Deaconess Research 
     Institute in Billings, St. James Community Hospital and the 
     Montana Tech and Butte Central Education foundations. He also 
     is active on the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce board 
     and an appointee to the Montana Commission on Higher 
     Education for the '90s.
       Each day, Peoples serves as chief executive officer and 
     president of MSE, where he has successfully put the 
     technologies firm on the map.
       The company, which once boasted only one research and 
     development contract and had a revenue base of about $12 
     million, today has tripled its revenue base and has more than 
     20 contracts.
       Agencies including the U.S. Energy and Defense departments 
     and NASA count on the firm for developments in areas such as 
     mine waste reclamation, thermal technology and advanced 
     aerospace technology.
       But turning Butte's economy around, and helping to develop 
     one of the county's largest businesses hasn't been easy.
       Those who know Peoples quickly point to his tenacity, 
     aggressiveness and work ethic--qualities which allow him to 
     get things done.
       Part of what drives him, people remark, is his tireless 
     devotion to Butte and the people that live there.
       The lifelong Butte resident was born in 1939 to Jim and 
     Marie Peoples, and was educated in local schools. His father 
     went on to become Butte's public works director, a position 
     that Don Peoples later held.
       ``He will do all that he can to fight for (Butte),'' says 
     Gov. Marc Racicot, who has known Peoples for about 15 years.
       The two served on the board of trustees together at Carroll 
     College in Helena, a position Peoples still holds. There, 
     Racicot says, Peoples has fought to raise money and promote a 
     code of ethics at the small private school.
       ``He's got a way of convincing people that anything is 
     possible,'' says Alec Hansen, executive director of the 
     Montana League of Cities and Towns. ``You just keep pushing 
     them and pushing them until something happens.''
       When Peoples served as president of the League in 1982, 
     Hansen says, he fought hard in the state Legislature--pushing 
     for workers compensation insurance programs for Montana 
     cities.
       ``The guy doesn't scare easy,'' Hansen says. ``Nothing is 
     too big--you can do it.''
       Peoples says he welcomes a challenge, enjoys taking on big 
     projects and likes to win. But with that, he and others 
     admit, comes Peoples' biggest weakness--impatience.
       ``I have a fairly good temper,'' be concedes. ``I find the 
     older I get, the easier it is to spout off.''
       For example, Peoples says his patience has been tried over 
     the proposed greenway project, which would turn the Silver 
     Bow Creek Superfund site into a green corridor.
       The state and ARCO, the company responsible for the 
     cleanup, have battled over whether the mine waste should be 
     removed and treated elsewhere or whether a less costly plan 
     should be implemented that would treat mine waste in place--
     leaving enough money to develop a public greenway along the 
     25-mile site.
       But Peoples' tendency to occasionally lose his patience 
     hasn't hindered his ability to convince others to get things 
     done, some say.
       Barrett says Peoples has an ability to inspire those who 
     work with him, as if he were a coach of a team.
       ``With Don there's no question that there's a coach and 
     there's a team; he's always a team leader,'' he says. ``He 
     allows people on the team to get their best in.''
       ``Leaders are far and few between'' and Don Peoples is one 
     of them, says Jim Kambich, director of corporate development 
     and planning at MSE.
       A modest Peoples quickly brushes off his success as a 
     leader and credits those that have worked along with him. He 
     attributes his achievements to an ability to find competent, 
     hard-working and loyal players.
       ``He empowers the people under him to look at new ways to 
     do things,'' Kambich says. ``He doesn't ask anything more of 
     you than he would ask of himself.''
       Peoples' team-oriented attitude shouldn't come as a 
     surprise, as he is an avid sports fan, former athlete and 30-
     years-plus football referee.
       On top of that--without missing a day in five years--he 
     runs twice daily as part of a regimen that he says simply 
     keeps him ``feeling right.''
       And while Peoples will likely continue to jog daily, he 
     says running for public office again is out of the picture.
       ``I become less political all the time,'' he says. Besides, 
     ``I think you have to have that fire in your belly.''
     
[[Page S 17547]]


                 RETIREMENT OF SENATOR NANCY KASSEBAUM

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to offer my best wishes to our 
colleague, Senator Nancy Kassebaum. Although we will work together for 
one more year--and I am pleased about that--I want to take this time to 
express my gratitude to Senator Kassebaum for what she has meant to me, 
to the Labor and Human Resources Committee, and to the Foreign 
Relations Committee.
  First, to me, Senator Kassebaum is a real class act. When I came to 
the U.S. Senate in 1986, Senator Kassebaum was the only other woman 
here. Together we served for 6 years as the only two women in this 
institution that represents the entire Nation. We were both elected to 
the U.S. Senate in our own right.
  I have tremendous respect for Senator Kassebaum and her views on many 
issues. Senator Kassebaum thinks independently in her political and 
policy decisions. She understands the issues and is not afraid to stand 
up for what she believes in.
  While we may not agree on every issue--no one around here does--we do 
agree on some pretty important ones. Senator Kassebaum favors the legal 
right to an abortion; she has voted for gun control measures; and she 
has supported many measures to improve American education. She has 
demonstrated great courage and conviction.
  Second, I salute Senator Kassebaum for chairing the full Labor 
Committee. She is the only female chair of a U.S. Senate committee and 
she does the job well. I serve on the Labor Committee, and I know 
first-hand how effective Senator Kassebaum can be.
  The Labor Committee controls some of the most comprehensive and 
controversial issues to come before this body. I am talking about 
welfare reform, health, education, job training and occupational 
safety--just to name a few. It is not easy. But Senator Kassebaum can 
really rally the troops--Democrat or Republican to make sure that work 
gets done.
  When Senator Kassebaum brings a bill to the Senate floor, it is sure 
to pass. She has a thorough, prudent and reasoned approach to crafting 
legislation. She gives a great deal of thought to the issues, and she 
knows how to build consensus.
  Together we have fought for the right of women to choice in 
reproductive health matters. We have fought to keep America healthy, 
and we have fought for education for this Nation's students.
  Finally, as chair of the African Affairs Subcommittee, Senator 
Kassebaum fights for policy that represents our values and respect for 
human rights.
  Senator Kassebaum fought apartheid in South Africa. She urged 
President Reagan to take action against the white-minority government. 
When he did not, she courageously endorsed sanctions against South 
Africa.
  I want to thank Senator Kassebaum for what she has meant to foreign 
policy and for her commitment to Africa, to the Nation, and to the 
people of this country.
   Senator Kassebaum says ``the time has come to pursue other 
challenges.'' I want to wish her the best in that pursuit, and I know 
that she will set new standards wherever she goes.

                          ____________________