[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 128 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6537-S6538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ROBERT F. GILLIGAN

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, along with my colleague Senator 
Coons, I wish to recognize a valued leader and respected public servant 
as he embarks upon his retirement following a long and distinguished 
career: the Honorable Robert P. Gilligan, speaker of the House of 
Representatives of Delaware.
  As the longest serving house member in Delaware's history, Bob 
Gilligan has devoted his career to bettering the State of Delaware. A 
native of Wilmington, Bob went to Pennsylvania to earn his bachelor's 
degree from St. Joseph's University and a master's degree from 
Villanova University. But, fortunately for the people of Delaware and 
specifically those in Sherwood Park in northern Delaware, Bob soon 
returned to the First State to begin a remarkable career in public 
service.
  Bob was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 
1972, and he has served there with distinction for the past 40 years. 
As representative of the 19th District, he has served as house majority 
leader from 1983-1984, house minority whip from 1985-1995, and house 
minority leader from 1995-2008. In 2008, Bob was elected by his peers 
to be the 145th general assembly speaker of the house.
  During my time as Governor of Delaware, I had the great fortune of 
working with Bob on a host of important issues, including education 
reform, welfare reform, and fiscal policy that led to Delaware's credit 
rating being raised to AAA for the first time in State history--a 
rating that the State still enjoys today. I have had the privilege of 
watching Bob grow as a leader in the State house and, ultimately, as 
speaker over the course of his 40-year tenure. During that time, what I 
came to admire most about Bob was his ability to bring people together 
to work collaboratively. His peers on both sides of the aisle have 
noted Bob's ability to form partnerships and ensure the house proceeds 
in a civil and orderly manner. This is a truly laudable feat made even 
more impressive by the fact that over the past 40 years, Bob has worked 
with 8 different Governors, 67 different State senators, 176 different 
State representatives, worked on 12 different committees, and had the 
opportunity to vote on over 15,000 House Bills.
  Bob leaves behind a legacy of creating a more open, responsible, and 
accountable government. When he first took office as speaker in 2008, 
Bob's goal was clear: He wanted to change business as usual in Dover. 
Almost immediately, sessions began on time, committee meetings were 
scheduled at least 48 hours in advance, and agendas were made public at 
least 24 hours prior to meeting. But the reforms didn't stop there. 
Under Bob's new leadership, the first bill of the new general assembly 
was his bill, House Bill 1, which made the Freedom of Information Act, 
FOIA, applicable to the general assembly, effectively opening the 
legislature to FOIA requests. And, fittingly, as Bob closed the chapter 
on his career in the house, he introduced one of his final bills, House 
Bill 300, which requires stricter disclosure laws with regard to 
campaign finance, helping to ensure that elections in Delaware races 
are conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
  Upon his retirement, Bob described the essence of his leadership and 
reiterated his faith in Delaware's approach to good governance: ``I 
hope this place never becomes like Washington D.C. It's our state. 
You've got to do what's right for the state. Good government and making 
good decisions is good politics, and if you don't get elected because 
of a tough decision, you still sleep well. All the decisions I've made, 
I never lost any sleep.''
  A man of extraordinary service, Bob is known as a hard-working and 
active legislator. In addition to his responsibilities as speaker of 
the house, he served on the House Administration, Ethics, House Rules, 
and Veteran Affairs Committees. Prior to his role as speaker, Bob 
served as a member of the Joint Finance Committee and was chairman of 
the Bond Bill Committee, the Health and Human Development Committee, 
and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Bob's leadership and 
commitment to serving others extends well beyond the State house. He is 
a life member of the Mill Creek Fire Company; a board member of the 
Blood Bank of Delmarva; a cofounder of the Mid-County and Absalom Jones 
Senior Centers; and, a parishioner of St. John the Beloved in 
Wilmington, DE. In addition to his title of ``speaker,'' Bob is also 
known by the title of ``professor'' to many students through his role 
as an educator at Delaware Technical and Community College in Stanton.
  Given Bob's incredible career of public service--both as an elected 
official and as a private citizen--I was of two minds when I heard of 
his plans to retire. On the one hand, Delaware will sorely miss its 
devoted public servant and leader. On the other hand, however, he will 
take some very well-deserved time to enjoy life with his wife Jeanne, 
their two daughters, son-in-law, and three grandchildren, Cole, 
Delaney, and Asher. We are in Jeanne's debt for sharing her husband of 
many years with the people of the First State.
  I am truly honored to have worked with Bob Gilligan for many years 
and call him my friend. It is truly a privilege to pay tribute to a man 
who has done so much for the great State of Delaware for all of these 
years.
 Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I am honored to join my senior 
Senator, Tom Carper, as we rise today to honor the legacy of one of 
Delaware's longest serving elected officials--Speaker of the House Bob 
Gilligan.
  Speaker Gilligan has served in the Delaware House of Representatives 
for 4 decades, elected to 20 consecutive terms by his constituents. Bob 
was first elected in 1972 at age 29--a remarkably young age to be so 
focused and service-minded.
  A lot has changed in this country since 1972, but not Bob's 
commitment to Delaware, to education, to equal rights and to making our 
State a better place to live.
  After 40 years of service, Speaker Gilligan is retiring at the end of 
this legislative session to spend more time with his family, including 
his wife Jeanne, his daughters Katie and Shannon, and his son-in-law 
Gavin, as well as his grandchildren, Delaney, Cole, and Asher.
  Earlier this year, a number of us gathered at the Mill Creek Fire 
Hall, where Bob is a lifetime honorary member, and celebrated 70/40--
his 70th birthday and his 40th year of public service. All it took was 
a look at the crowd that gathered to see the real and positive impact 
Speaker Gilligan has had on our community. He always kept his 
constituents from his district first and foremost on his mind, even as 
he worked on issues of broader impact to our State and even our Nation.
  It was through Speaker Gilligan's leadership that real transparency 
and openness was brought to Delaware State government. He led the way 
for House Bill 1--legislation in 2009 that made our State's open-
government laws apply to the General Assembly. That may sound like 
simple fairness and good governance, but it wasn't an easy road to get 
there. It took all of Bob's legislative acumen to get it done, and now 
all Delawareans benefit from a more accountable and open government.
  Our State has benefitted from Bob's passion and commitment in other 
ways, too. His legacy is felt in education programs and schools across 
our State, as well as at the Mid-County Senior Center, which he helped 
found to support local seniors and provide the recreational, 
educational, and nutritional services necessary for a dignified 
retirement.
  In these times of deep division and heated political rhetoric, Bob is 
a breath of fresh air. He listens to diverse perspectives and values 
principled compromise. As someone who has been around long enough to 
serve as both Speaker of the House and Minority Leader for Delaware, he 
has worked hard to find ways to bring people together.
  Our State and our Nation could use more Bob Gilligans, and I join 
Delawareans of all political parties in thanking him for his decades of 
service and wishing him well in his retirement.

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