[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 43 (Thursday, March 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING SYLVESTER TURNER: A FRIEND, A COLLEAGUE, AND A CONFIDANT

  (Mr. FIELDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FIELDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart in honor of 
my friend, my colleague, and my confidant, Sylvester Turner.
  It is not often one gets the opportunity to serve alongside of a 
person like Sylvester Turner, one of the finest public servants this 
Nation has ever known.
  Each and every day, we worked in this Chamber and sat side by side, 
center aisle, row five, seat one and two. I called him Mr. Mayor.
  Sylvester's brilliance was in crafting policy that served the 
underrepresented and became an inspiration to me. After storms 
devastated his region, we stood shoulder to shoulder, fighting for 
disaster relief funds, building recovery plans that now protect 
millions.
  As mayor, he transformed Houston's infrastructure, expanded economic 
opportunity, and navigated the city through unprecedented challenges 
with grace and determination.
  In our private moments, Sylvester would say things like: Cleo, let me 
just tell you, we are not here for titles. We are here for the people 
who will never walk these Halls. That was the measure of an 
extraordinary man.
  As I remember my friend, he was not only just an accomplished 
legislator and mayor, but a man whose friendship and dedication made 
America a better place for all of us.

                          ____________________