[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5759-5760]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MAYOR JOHN MEDINGER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John Medinger 
upon his retirement as mayor of La Crosse,

[[Page 5760]]

Wisconsin. Involved in local politics since 1976, John is a dedicated 
public servant and a good friend. I will miss his leadership as mayor, 
but I am confident he will remain active in our community and 
influential in improving the quality of life in western Wisconsin.
  Born and raised in La Crosse, Mayor Medinger and his family have 
always been active in local politics and have contributed immensely to 
the growth and development of our community. His father, Don, a good 
union member, served on the La Crosse City Council and was well-
respected throughout the area. Following his father's example of civic 
duty, John ran for and was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 
1986, where he served for the next 16 years.
  From 1993 to 1996, he worked for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold as his 
western Wisconsin regional coordinator, and in 1996 he ran for and was 
elected mayor of La Crosse. During his tenure as mayor, he continually 
advocated for social justice on behalf of the hard-working families in 
western Wisconsin. His contributions and dedication to the community 
made him an excellent mentor, and our area has been well served by his 
leadership.
  I have known John for many years and have admired his thoughtfulness, 
idealism, unwavering principles, and ability to reach across party 
lines to create good public policy. As mayor, he was always honest and 
never hesitated to tell you when he thought you were wrong. Likewise, 
he was the first to embrace a good idea and work to put a plan into 
action.
  Lastly, I commend John for his tireless work to encourage and welcome 
greater racial diversity, which has made the La Crosse area a special 
place to live and raise a family.
  John exemplifies all that is good, noble, and decent in public 
service. He believes in our representative democracy, and he made 
himself approachable and accessible to anyone who wanted to share their 
thoughts with him, whether it was when he showed up on their doorstep 
during the course of his many campaigns or during his time in office.
  Both John and his wife, Dee, have sacrificed greatly to live a life 
of public service. If anyone deserves a break from the public 
spotlight, they do. Although John Medinger is retiring from the mayoral 
position, his advocacy and community work will leave a lasting legacy 
on the La Crosse community, and the area will continue to benefit from 
all that he has done.
  I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication, and I wish Dee 
and John the best of luck in their future endeavors.

                          ____________________