[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S4819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO VICTOR BAIRD

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, today I wish to speak on behalf of a 
man, Victor Baird, who, until recently, had probably one of the most 
thankless jobs in the Senate--Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the 
Senate Ethics Committee. In this position, Victor was charged with 
preserving the integrity of the Senate by policing the conduct of its 
Members and ensuring that the Senators and their staffs adhered to the 
Senate's high ethical standards.
  The nature of the Ethics Committee is that the work we do remains 
confidential, except in the most egregious circumstances. Victor faced 
some of these circumstances and his guidance in steering the committee, 
the Senate, through them was invaluable. In general, though, most 
people didn't hear that much about Victor or the work he did in his 16 
years on the committee, but to those of who sit on the committee or who 
have ever sat on the committee, we know that a lack of public exposure 
for the committee means that Victor was doing his job, and doing it 
well.
  As I mentioned before, Victor was a 16 year veteran of the Senate 
Ethics Committee. He was first appointed to the committee by Senator 
Heflin in March 1987. He was acting Staff Director and Chief Counsel 
from October 1992 until March 1993 and became Staff Director and Chief 
Counsel from April 1993 until this January.
  Before arriving in the Senate, Victor served in the United States Air 
Force and had a distinguished legal career in Georgia that included 
serving as an Assistant Attorney General in Georgia, as an 
Administrative Law Judge for the Georgia Department of Natural 
Resources, and on the Consumers' Utility Council of Georgia.
  Victor's legal acumen, good nature, keen attention to detail, 
nonpartisan nature, and most of all, his integrity, all contributed to 
his success in the Senate. He will be missed by many. I thank him for 
his service to the United States Senate and to his country, and wish 
him God speed in all his journeys ahead.

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