[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 14, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DAVID STEVENS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a well-respected 
Kentuckian, Mr. David Stevens. Mr. Stevens's outstanding dedication to 
public service is truly immeasurable, as is his devotion to our 
Commonwealth.
  Recently the Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, KY, published a 
story about Mr. Stevens. The story highlights not only the major 
initiatives he took as a Lexington-Fayette urban county councilman, but 
the keen sense of humor that contributed to his significant presence in 
Kentucky. Mr. Stevens's noteworthy pursuit as a public servant is a 
true testament of his devotion to not only Kentucky, but his loyalty to 
our great Nation.
  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. David 
Stevens as a true patriot and Kentuckian whose dedication to his city 
will be long remembered. I further ask unanimous consent that the full 
article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           [From the Lexington Herald-Leader, Dec. 15, 2008]

      Modest Stevens' Impact Seen In Smoking Ban, Sunday Drinking

                            (By Michelle Ku)

       David Stevens isn't exactly a household name in Lexington, 
     but the modest man's work has had a huge impact on the city.
       Thanks largely to Stevens, Lexingtonians can drink a little 
     longer on Sundays but can't light up a cigarette inside a 
     workplace.
       Stevens, 79, leaves the Urban County Council this month 
     after 15 years.
       He has served three terms as an at-large councilman and one 
     term as the District 5 representative. He chose not to seek 
     re-election for his district seat.
       He has been involved in many of the major initiatives in 
     Lexington over the last 15 years.
       Stevens pushed to extend the hours of Sunday alcohol sales 
     and expanded who was eligible to sell. He helped develop the 
     city's farmland preservation program, the Town & Gown 
     Commission and ethics code.
       But what he will be most remembered for is the passage and 
     implementation of Kentucky's first smoke-free law. Since 
     Lexington's was passed in 2003, 20 other Kentucky communities 
     have enacted some type of a smoke-free law or regulation.
       Stevens is probably the most significant Lexington figure, 
     said former Vice Mayor Mike Scanlon.
       ``If you look at any councilman who has ever served, or any 
     mayor who's ever served, I don't think that there's anybody 
     who's going to leave a bigger footprint on Lexington than 
     David Stevens.''
       Stevens' departure will leave very large shoes to fill 
     because of his institutional knowledge of Lexington dating 
     back to the writing of the city-county charter, Scanlon said. 
     ``The council changes all the damn time, but the government 
     is going to be changing because David's leaving.''
       Last month, the council approved the first revision to 
     Lexington's smoking ban.
       Stevens engineered the revision, which extended the ban to 
     all workplaces, not just those open to the public, and closed 
     a loophole that had allowed smoking in bingo halls.
       ``Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights calls Lexington's law 
     the shot heard round the world,'' said Ellen Hahn, director 
     of the Kentucky Center for Smoke-Free Policy. ``It was so 
     landmark because this region, including the other tobacco 
     states, really lagged behind the rest of the country.''
       Many people think the smoking ban was his biggest 
     accomplishment while on council, Stevens said. While it 
     certainly got the most attention, ``the other things are of 
     equal importance.''
       The parks master plan he worked on with former Councilwoman 
     Sandy Shafer was important even though the city has never 
     been able give parks enough funding, Stevens said.
       Much of his work on council was done with a vision for 
     Lexington that's 50 years out, said Councilwoman Linda 
     Gorton. ``That was obvious when he helped write the charter 
     and helped with merger. It will take that long for much of 
     his beautification efforts on the city's corridors to grow.''
       In addition to the legislation he sponsored, Stevens will 
     be remembered for his dry wit. He has a penchant for 
     delivering a well-timed one-liner.
       For example, during Stevens' final budget and finance 
     committee meeting last Tuesday, the council discussed the 
     city's projected budget shortfall in the next fiscal year.
       ``I will be happy to forgo any salary for next year,'' 
     Stevens said to a round of chuckles.
       Stevens plans to remain active in the community and city 
     government despite his retirement from the council.
       He wants to continue his work on the corridors committee, 
     including a project to add sidewalks to Tates Creek Road from 
     Lakewood Drive to New Circle Road. Neighbors are opposed to 
     the idea.
       ``I'm determined to get those sidewalks down Tates Creek,'' 
     he said.
       Also, he wants to complete a project he began several years 
     ago to document discussions that took place on the commission 
     that drafted the city's charter. He had the audio tapes from 
     those meetings transcribed, but still has to review the tapes 
     to identify the speakers, he said.
       Outside of city government, Stevens will continue on as the 
     president of the Blue Grass Council of the Boy Scouts of 
     America and board chairman of the Kentucky Blood Center. He 
     also wants to finish fund-raising for a children's garden at 
     the Arboretum on Alumni Drive.
       His one regret while on the council was not pushing as hard 
     as he could have for a dedicated tax for the parks 
     department. When parks explored the idea six years ago, 
     Stevens was running for his third term as an at-large 
     councilman.
       ``I thought if I spent all my time working on the parks 
     referendum, I might not get re-elected,'' Stevens said. ``I 
     feel kind of bad about that. I let the people in the parks 
     down.''
       Being on the council is a lot like playing a game of golf, 
     Stevens said.
       ``When you play a game of golf, you're only going to hit 
     three or four perfect shots out of the 70 in every round,'' 
     he said. ``It's the same on the council, you know, you're not 
     going to hit every one just right.''

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