[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 24]
[Senate]
[Page 33147]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LEWIS K. BILLINGS

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I express my deep appreciation to a 
great Utahn and friend, Provo City Mayor Lewis K. Billings, whose 
tenure as mayor will soon come to an end. It has been my distinct 
pleasure to work with Mayor Billings over the past 12 years.
  Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Provo was founded by 
rugged pioneers in 1849 and is one of the oldest cities in the West. 
Today, Provo is one of largest cities in the State of Utah. Mayor 
Billings and his beautiful wife Patti are longtime residents of Provo 
and raised eight wonderful children there.
  Mayor Billings was elected Provo City Mayor in November 1997, after 
completing 3 years as chief administrative officer and director of 
community and government relations for the city of Provo. He and I 
share many of the same conservative values and principles and his 
service as mayor is a strong reflection of his dedication to those 
ideals. Mayor Billings will long be remembered for focusing on 
effective public safety and law enforcement, fiscal responsibility, 
economic development and job creation, neighborhood and downtown 
revitalization, the arts, emergency readiness, and a host of other 
local, regional, and national public policy issues. During his tenure, 
Provo City has consistently received national recognition for low crime 
rates, high quality of life, and positive business development.
  Mayor Billings has accomplished a great deal during his tenure as 
Mayor of Provo. His dedicated public service and determination to shape 
Provo into the wonderful city it is today will be remembered for years 
to come. I ask my colleagues to join me and the citizens of the great 
State of Utah in thanking Mayor Billings for his many years of 
dedicated service. We all appreciate his efforts and service, but none 
so more than me.

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