[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17392-17393]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMENDING NORM COLEMAN

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I wish to speak in honor of the service of 
my good friend, Senator Norm Coleman. Senator Coleman was among the 
more thoughtful and intelligent Senators that I have known. His 
presence in this Chamber will be sorely missed.
  Senator Coleman came to the Senate with more insight into the lives 
and needs of his constituents than most obtain after years of service 
in Congress. He was elected mayor of St. Paul, MN, in 1993. Of course, 
at that time he was a Democrat, but I don't hold it against him. He 
eventually realized the error of his ways and was reelected as a 
Republican in 1997. He became the most popular and well known mayor in 
Minnesota, mostly because he shared something in common with 
Minnesotans: a love of hockey.
  In 1993, the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars, leaving 
the State of Minnesota without a franchise in the National Hockey 
League. Norm shared the view of probably every Minnesotan that this was 
just not right. Honestly, how can you have an NHL without a team in 
Minnesota? Due in large part to Mayor Coleman's lobbying efforts the 
NHL awarded St. Paul an expansion franchise in 1997, the Minnesota 
Wild.
  You would think that bringing hockey back to Minnesota would be 
enough to get him elected to any office he wanted in the state. But, as 
many have observed, the people of Minnesota are unpredictable. In the 
1998 gubernatorial election, in a race that grabbed the attention of 
many people throughout the country, Norm finished just 3 percentage 
points behind Jesse Ventura, whose preGovernor career was, to put it 
lightly, a colorful one.
  Though this result had to be difficult for Norm, I think we all 
ultimately benefited from the outcome of that race. Norm was elected to 
the Senate in 2002 and immediately became known for his thoughtful 
demeanor and his dedication to the people of Minnesota. He was a loyal 
Republican, but he was also willing to work with those in the opposing 
party to help the State of Minnesota and the Nation as a whole. He 
supported President Bush, but, as should be expected of any loyal 
supporter, he was not afraid to express his disagreement or offer his 
advice with regard to changes and reforms. Indeed, I think Republicans 
and Democrats alike have had a good working relationship with Senator 
Coleman because, as many have noted here today,

[[Page 17393]]

he was more concerned with getting things done and being true to his 
convictions than he was about being political and towing the party 
line.
  Mr. President, while I welcome Senator Coleman's successor, I must 
admit that I was disappointed when I heard of the final decision of the 
Minnesota Supreme Court. Obviously, I don't like seeing the number of 
Republicans in the Chamber go down. But, more importantly, I am sad to 
see the Senate lose such a vibrant and intelligent voice. Indeed, I 
think his views and statements on the legislation being considered by 
the Senate this year would add greatly to the debate.
  I want to wish Senator Coleman the best of luck in his future 
endeavors. While I am sure that he will be a valuable asset for any 
effort with which he becomes involved, I am more certain that he will 
be missed here in the Senate.

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