[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 151 (Friday, October 24, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13208-S13209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO JIM REITER

 Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I was back home in St. Paul a 
couple weeks

[[Page S13209]]

ago during our last recess, and on late Tuesday afternoon of that week, 
I met with my friend Randy Kelly, mayor of St. Paul.
  Since I used to call his office my own, I look forward to these 
meetings. They give me the chance to get a first-hand update of the 
city. As my colleagues here in the Senate who also used to be in a 
mayor's office would attest, once you leave it's hard to not think and 
care about what you used to pay attention to so closely. A former mayor 
will always have an interest in the affairs and goings-on of his city.
  On that note, the meeting I had with Mayor Kelly immediately began 
with what was to us a situation of great sadness for the city of St. 
Paul--the passing of Jim Reiter earlier that afternoon, a friend of 
ours and member of St. Paul's city council.
  As you can imagine, this is unfortunate news to come home to. But 
during times like this, I think home is the best place for a person to 
be, surrounded by those who understand what it is like to lose the 
friend we all had in Jim.
  Being with my family and reflecting with others on Jim's time and 
accomplishments at the council were consoling, as was reading the Twin 
Cities' newspapers the next two mornings and seeing their fitting 
recognition of Jim as a caring family man and dedicated servant to the 
people of St. Paul's North End and Como Park neighborhoods.
  The papers reported that Jim ``represented'' these people at the city 
level, and that is true. But because I believe he did more than just 
represent the residents of these neighborhoods, I would use a different 
phrase to describe his efforts. I would say that Jim ``took care of'' 
these people.
  For neighborhoods, he knew what was important, and that includes 
having both a sense of pride in where you live and a sense of safety. 
As a result, he saw to it that the housing conditions of his 
neighborhoods improved and that his residents had what all should--a 
library and a community center. He also made it a point to have police 
officers regularly patrolling the streets, and if they weren't present, 
Jim would take matters into his own hands by driving around in his 
``Crime Watch'' car, a surplus police cruiser he bought with his city 
council car allowance.
  Jim and I shared the same vision for St. Paul, and I couldn't have 
done what I did during my eight years as mayor without him. Jim 
understood my priorities to make St. Paul an even better place to live 
and work, and he made sure his ward measured up.
  Not only has St. Paul's North End, Como Park area, and city council 
experienced a loss after Jim's passing, but so has the city as a whole, 
which was noticeable the next day when I went to a field hearing and 
saw flags lowered at half-staff throughout the city.
  More importantly, he was my friend. I will miss his smile. I will 
miss his humor. I will miss his independent speech. I will miss him.
  Finally, my thoughts are with Jim's family: his wife Darlene; son Jim 
Jr.; daughters Linda, Debby, Jean, and Kris; and his four 
grandchildren. Their husband, father, and grandfather was a true civic 
leader and a great friend that I--and I know many others--will never 
forget.

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