[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 74 (Thursday, May 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1035-E1036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING BOB STONE'S RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 1999

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Bob Stone, 
who is retiring after more than thirty years in the federal government 
representing the highest ideals of government service. For the past six 
years, Bob has been Vice President Al Gore's right hand man in leading 
the reinvention of the federal bureaucracy. Reinventing government is 
often referred to colloquially as ``REGO'' and Bob has been commonly 
called ``Mr. REGO'' for his dedication and commitment to creating a 
government that works better, costs less, and gets the results 
Americans desire.
  I first met Bob during the 1980s when he was a deputy assistant 
secretary in the Defense Department. He helped resolve a complex 
situation that ended up benefiting both the Defense Department and 
Northeastern Pennsylvania. Although I had dealt with hundreds of 
federal employees, Bob stood out as a creative and thoughtful public 
servant who was absolutely committed to making government work. His 
dedication to improving the functioning of the Defense Department 
during

[[Page E1036]]

Republican Administrations was brought to the attention of Vice 
President Gore, who deserves a great deal of credit for recognizing 
Bob's talents and allowing him to run the National Performance Review 
in a competent and non-partisan manner.
  In leading hundreds of career civil servants in the reinventing 
government initiative, Bob has helped produce some remarkable results: 
more than $136 billion in savings, a workforce that is smaller than 
when John F. Kennedy was President, 640,000 fewer pages of internal 
rules, and the creation of more than 3,000 customer service standards 
that citizens can use to judge how well agencies are serving their 
customers. I was struck by Bob's undying belief that government can 
work if front-line employees are empowered with the ability to exercise 
common sense. Bob's inspirational mantra was, ``Federal workers know 
what's not working in government and--if empowered--can make government 
work better and cost less.''
  Beyond creating a government that was smaller and worked better, Bob 
wanted to create a movement. As Vice President Gore said at Bob's 
retirement ceremony, ``Bob's goal was to `fan the flames of 
reinvention' among front line employees, to empower them to reinvent 
their workplaces and how they deal with their customers--to bring 
common sense to government. He did this, and more.''
  Bob Stone is the epitome of the hardworking, unrecognized public 
servant who is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to accomplish his 
mission in a thoughtful and creative way. I speak for many in this 
Congress when I express my gratitude to Bob for the key role he has 
played in restoring Americans' belief that government can do the right 
thing. I wish him and his wife, Roxanne, a happy retirement when they 
join their children and grandchildren in California. We will miss you, 
Mr. REGO, but hope your spirit of service and reinvention will live 
long in the federal government.

                          ____________________