[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8655-8658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE V. VOINOVICH

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I am joined by my colleague and friend, 
Senator Rob Portman of Ohio--the other Senator from Ohio--to discuss 
the passing of a dear friend of his and of mine. I will make a few 
short remarks.
  I believe Senator Portman, who will be speaking at his memorial 
service later in the week in Cleveland will be offering a resolution 
and some comments to the resolution.
  This past weekend we were awakened on Sunday to learn that the State 
of Ohio and the city of Cleveland had lost one of its champions, George 
Voinovich.
  As mayor of my beloved city--the city I call home--Cleveland, as a 
two-term Governor of Ohio, and as my colleague for my first 4 years in 
the Senate before Senator Portman succeeded him, George dedicated his 
life to public service.
  A man of strong conviction, he was always willing to listen to the 
other side of an argument and to put what he believed was best for our 
State and for our country ahead of partisan politics. Of course, we 
didn't always agree, but we worked together in the Senate to make 
progress for Ohio on everything from judicial nominees to supporting 
our manufacturing industry to cleaning up our great lake, Lake Erie.
  When I came to the Senate in 2007, we assembled a commission of 
distinguished Ohio lawyers of both parties to find the candidates--
again, of both parties--to recommend as nominees for the Federal 
judiciary. I thank Senator Portman. Actually, this began with Senator 
DeWine and Senator Voinovich, and it has now continued from their 
service with Senator Portman and me doing the same thing.
  George had a lifelong love affair with what he called the ``jewel of 
the Great Lakes,'' Lake Erie. His fight to clean up and protect our 
lake began when he joined the Ohio Legislature almost exactly 50 years 
ago. At that time, people wrote off Lake Erie as a polluted, dying 
lake. Over the past century, people have had a habit of trying to write 
off Ohio. Like all of our State's champions, George wouldn't accept 
that.
  As my colleagues know, there is an enormous painting on the stairway 
outside the Senate Chamber depicting the American victory in the Battle 
of Lake Erie. George fought what he referred to as the ``second battle 
of Lake Erie,'' pushing for the first Great Lakes Water Quality 
Agreement, cochairing the Senate's Great Lakes Task Force, working with 
me to introduce the Clean Water Affordability Act, which I continued to 
work on since his retirement in December of 2010.
  That tenacity paid off. Our lake has made an incredible comeback. We 
still have work to do every summer. We have to deal with the return of 
toxic algal blooms. Senator Portman and I have worked on that issue in 
the western basin of Lake Erie near Toledo.
  But because of the work and investment by people such as George, he 
was able to catch yellow perch not far from his own backyard in 
Collinwood, a section on the lake on the east side of Cleveland.
  It will be up to all of us who love Lake Erie and understand how 
vital it is to our State to continue that work for our Great Lake.
  George was the son of Serbian and Slovenian immigrants, and he 
understood the importance of investing in our Nation and investing in 
public works that create jobs and power our communities and our 
economy. In retirement, George Voinovich continued to push for ways to 
finance our Nation's infrastructure. Just this year he reached out to 
his friend, Senator Carper of Delaware, and to me about the need for 
dedicated public works funding.
  He was willing to reach across the aisle to work with us on projects 
such as the Brent Spence Bridge, which we still need to rebuild, and 
loan guarantees and tax incentives for Ohio's manufacturers and small 
businesses.
  He was a deeply religious man. He was guided by his faith through 
nearly half a century in public service. That faith sustained him 
through the worst tragedy that any parent can imagine, when his 9-year-
old daughter Molly was killed during George Voinovich's first campaign 
for mayor of Cleveland. He said of that experience later:

       When one loses a child, things come into focus, what is 
     important, what is unimportant. You see more. You feel more. 
     You experience more. We all take so much for granted.

  I hope we will take George's passing as an opportunity to reflect on 
what we take for granted and what is important to us as a country. On 
behalf of everyone in this body, I send my deepest condolences to Janet 
Voinovich, to their children, and to everyone touched by George's life 
and, frankly, her life of public service.
  His legacy will live on through the lasting contributions he made to 
his beloved Cleveland, to Ohio, and to our great country.
  I yield to my friend from Ohio.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, I thought those remarks beautifully 
described a great public servant, George Voinovich. I wish to add a 
little to it, and then at the end of my remarks, I am actually going to 
offer a resolution for the entire Senate to vote on as a tribute to the 
life of George Voinovich. We have put together a resolution which talks 
about a lot of his accomplishments. As my colleague has said very well, 
it gives us an inspiration for

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the future. From his life, hopefully, we can learn about how to better 
do our jobs on the floor of the Senate.
  He was an amazing public servant. As some know, he was not just mayor 
of Cleveland during a critical time but also Governor of Ohio and, of 
course, a Senator here for two terms. I believe he represented the very 
best of public service. By that I mean whether it was his efforts to 
tackle the debt, to give children more choice and parents more choice 
in their schools, or to modernize infrastructure, he never made it 
about him. It was always about others, and specifically, it was about 
his constituents.
  He was a very proud grandson of immigrants, Serbian and Slovenian. He 
was also the son of a great neighborhood in Cleveland called 
Collinwood, where I was over the weekend visiting with Janet Voinovich. 
He was raised with the values of that neighborhood--honesty, integrity, 
and hard work. He said that his father used to tell him that in America 
we have more of the world's bounty than any other country on Earth 
because of our freedom, because ``we get more out of our people through 
the free enterprise system and our education system.'' He never forgot 
those early lessons. Wherever he went, whatever title he had, he was 
always that same earnest, plainspoken kid from Collinwood.
  As a boy, he was diagnosed with a bone marrow disorder, which kept 
him from enjoying many of childhood's joys, such as sports. He didn't 
let it get him down. In fact, he brought all his energies into his 
studies--one reason he was such a good student, I think--and he got 
around Cleveland on his red bike, which he called Bessie, which was his 
pride. Later in life, by the way, I had the opportunity to be in 
parades with George Voinovich. I would be marching along, and there he 
was on his bicycle. I don't know if it was named Bessie, but I know 
Janet Voinovich was at his side, riding that bicycle in parades, and 
then as Governor Voinovich and then Senator Voinovich. He loved those 
bicycles and was always riding with a smile on his face.
  That difficult health care struggle he had early in his life shaped 
his character and gave him a heart for all those who were suffering or 
who were just different. As with so many of his decisions, he would go 
to the Lord for inspiration. He would start with a humble prayer, and 
he did this at Collinwood High School. He said he prayed for guidance, 
asking God what he should do with his life. And he got an answer. He 
felt he had a calling, and that was to get involved in student 
government, and so he ran. He was elected as class president as a 
senior. He went on to serve as student body president at Ohio 
University, when he was in undergraduate school, and he was president 
of his class and president of the Young Republicans club while in law 
school at Ohio State University. So if people wonder how he got into 
politics, it all started in high school and through college and law 
school. That was the track he chose for himself.
  For over half a century, he served his neighbors in so many different 
roles--local, State, and Federal. He was a county commissioner in 
Cuyahoga County. He was county auditor. He was mayor, as we have talked 
about. He was a State representative. He was an assistant attorney 
general. He was Lieutenant Governor. He was Governor for two terms, and 
he was a U.S. Senator for two terms. This is a guy who devoted his life 
to public service.
  In 1959, as a young man, he volunteered for the mayoral campaign of 
Tom Ireland. We don't remember much about Tom Ireland, because Tom 
Ireland lost. But in that election, George Voinovich met a young 
woman--a beautiful and intelligent fellow volunteer named Janet Allan. 
Janet and George were married for more than 50 years. Having just been 
with her over the weekend, I can tell you she is an extraordinary 
woman. Their relationship--their partnership--is a real model and 
example for all of us, and certainly it has been over the years for 
Jane and for me. George used to say about Janet that she was ``God's 
greatest blessing on me,'' and that was clear to anyone who knew them. 
Together they had four wonderful children: George, Betsy, Peter, and 
Molly.
  He was Lieutenant Governor in 1978 when his true calling came. I say 
``true calling'' because this was a time of urgency in his hometown of 
Cleveland. It was in trouble. That same year, Cleveland had become the 
first American city since the Great Depression to default on its debt, 
which, by some measures, totaled more than $100 million. That was a lot 
of money back then. People were worried. Some people were leaving the 
city altogether.
  From his neighbors and from his conscience, George Voinovich heard 
the call to come back home. Shortly after he won that Republican 
nomination for mayor, tragedy struck the Voinovich family. George's 
youngest daughter, Molly, was hit by a car. She was walking home from 
school when she was 9 years old. It is a tragedy no parent should ever 
have to endure, but George and Janet endured it, and, turning to their 
faith, they persevered. They went on to win that election.
  George says that through that trial, his faith deepened even further 
and his compassion for others grew even stronger. Sherrod Brown just 
talked about the fact that he said that ``things come into focus when 
you lose a child.'' I think that is what my colleague said, and that is 
how George felt. It deepened his faith and brought things into focus.
  He did win that mayoral election, and he turned Cleveland into ``The 
Comeback City.'' It is not an exaggeration, I don't think, to say that 
he personally saved the city from default in the sense that he had 
incredible energy, infectious optimism that it could happen, sheer 
force of will, and a great work ethic, and he brought people together.
  Having talked to some of the city fathers at that time, some of whom 
are still with us, it was George Voinovich's bringing a team together 
that saved the city of Cleveland. He lifted people's hopes.
  A decade later it was the entire State of Ohio that needed to be 
turned around. After winning reelection in Cleveland as mayor with two 
landslide votes, he was elected Governor in another landslide. Ohio was 
facing a massive debt, just like Cleveland had been, and George came to 
the rescue again, saying he would get the State government ``working 
harder and smarter, doing more with less.'' Anybody who knew George 
Voinovich knew that was his favorite motto--doing more with less; 
working harder and smarter; and with God, all things are possible.
  He did do more with less. He cut taxes by $24 billion to get the 
economy moving, but he also trimmed government spending by $720 million 
in just 2 years. With his experience as mayor, he wasn't afraid to 
delve into the details of the budget. He rolled up his sleeves, and he 
got involved.
  The only thing he knew better than his budget, by the way, was his 
constituents. He helped hundreds of thousands of people who were stuck 
on welfare to find jobs, as unemployment in Ohio fell to 25-year lows. 
He also modernized our roads and bridges. He was a big infrastructure 
guy. After a landslide reelection, he left the Buckeye State with 
nearly $1 billion in a rainy-day fund.
  By the way, when he was mayor, he served as president of the U.S. 
Conference of Mayors, and when he was Governor he served as president 
of the National Governors Association--the only person in America to 
have done that. That is pretty amazing. He rose to the top.
  He loved to fish. Wildlife fishing in Lake Erie was his favorite 
thing. He got me started on that, which I do now every year. He loved 
his lake. If you go to his home and stay, as I did over the weekend, 
you know it is a couple of houses from the lake. You can see how proud 
he was of that lake by the way in which he supported efforts to make it 
clean and make it safe. He was also a strong supporter of our coal 
miners in eastern Ohio. He became the first government executive in the 
world to recognize the independence of his ancestral homeland of 
Slovenia, something that meant a lot to George. His last speech was on 
Friday night of last week, and it was on the 25th anniversary of 
Slovenia's independence day.

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  George was reelected as Governor in 1994 with 72 percent of the vote. 
At the time, it was the biggest landslide of any Governor in Ohio 
history. After he had reached his term limit as Governor, he was 
elected by another large margin to this Chamber, the Senate. He was 
reelected in 2004 with more votes than any Senate candidate had ever 
received in the State of Ohio.
  In the Senate, he focused on expanding NATO to include Slovenia. He 
authored a Federal law that helps to monitor and fight anti-Semitism 
all around the world. He passed bipartisan legislation to help protect 
American intellectual property. But if you want to see his biggest 
impact, go to Ohio. You will see it everywhere--whether it is the 
Innerbelt Bridge, named after him; whether it is the Voinovich 
Bicentennial Park in Cleveland; whether it is the Voinovich School of 
Leadership and Public Affairs at his beloved Ohio University in Athens, 
OH; whether it is the Voinovich Atrium at the Rock and Roll Hall of 
Fame, which, by the way, some say would not be in Cleveland but for 
George Voinovich's leadership. I just talked last week to the director 
of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who happened to be here for a visit, 
and, coincidently, we talked about George Voinovich's role in being 
sure that the financing was put together to have that Rock and Roll 
Hall of Fame be in Cleveland, OH.
  These are all testaments to the love and respect the people of Ohio 
had and continue to have for him. Above all, talk to those who knew 
him. He made an impact on all of us. For me, he was a friend, and he 
was a great mentor over the years. He helped me in my career. He was 
someone who gave me a lot of inspiration to get into public service in 
the first place.
  In our conversations, by the way, for all of his political successes 
and accomplishments and all we had to talk about that had to do with 
policy or political issues, he mostly wanted to talk about family. That 
was where he always started. That was where he was in his heart. He 
would say: ``How is the family?'' That is how he would start the 
conversation. Janet was his soulmate, his partner in everything, and he 
loved those kids and grandkids so much. They were the anchor for 
everything--family and faith. That is one reason he was so successful, 
in my view. He had grit, he had that work ethic, and he certainly had 
natural talent, but he also had that foundation. That moral foundation 
of his family and his faith gave him the confidence and the ability to 
do so many other great things for so many other people.
  When he announced his retirement, he said: ``I have a philosophy: 
It's God, family, country, and community.'' Those are pretty good 
priorities. George put himself last. It was never about him. It was 
about others. He was the public servant. He put the servant part first.
  He had the heart of a servant because he was a humble man. As some 
know back home, he was proud of the fact that he drove a Taurus and 
shined his own shoes. He was a penny-pincher. He loved to buy his 
clothes on sale. He was a good fiscal conservative. He and Janet lived 
in the same house they bought in Cleveland in 1972. No matter where he 
was or what his title was, he was, in many respects, still that same 
kid from Collinwood--George from Collinwood.
  He was a man of deep faith. He was a devout Catholic, and as busy as 
he was, he went to mass several times a week. He also took comfort in 
praying the Rosary. The legendary quarterback Bernie Kosar tells the 
story that George Voinovich prayed the Rosary at Municipal Stadium with 
Bernie's mom during the Browns' 1986 double-overtime comeback playoff 
victory over the New York Jets. Everybody gives Bernie Kosar all the 
credit for that, but it really was George Voinovich and a Higher Power 
that intervened.
  After retirement, he did not slow down. As I said, just this past 
Friday he was at Cleveland City Hall for the 25th anniversary of 
Slovenia's independence. He was also at the Republican headquarters in 
downtown Cleveland last Thursday to open what we call the ``Voinovich 
Lobby'' of that new headquarters. He was also planning to serve as a 
delegate in next month's Republican National Convention. We were so 
looking forward to paying tribute to him in many ways at that 
convention. We still will, but, oh, I wish he were going to be there to 
be part of it.
  It has been a great honor to succeed him as U.S. Senator. When he 
decided to retire, he called me here to Washington. I will never forget 
the dinner we had together where he said: I am not telling anybody this 
yet, but I am planning to not run again for reelection.
  I had just helped him with an event in Ohio, and I was strongly 
supporting him for reelection. But he said he had had it; that it was 
time for him to go back home. He encouraged me to run. He endorsed me 
the day I got in. I don't believe I would be here but for the fact that 
he called me to Washington that day and encouraged me and told me that 
knowing public service was in my heart too, that this was the time to 
step forward and to help our country. I owe him for so much but most 
importantly for his model and for the example that he set.
  He was certainly an independent voice, including on this floor. 
Senators on both sides of the aisle will tell you he was an attentive 
and thoughtful listener. He treated people with respect and dignity. I 
have talked to some of the staff here this week about George 
Voinovich--some who have been here a while and remember him--and all 
have the same to say. They cherished his friendship. They felt like he 
cared about them. He had good friends--Senator Shaheen and Senator 
Cardin on the other side of the aisle. He had good friends on this side 
of the aisle. He used to refer to Danny Akaka as being ``like a brother 
to me.'' Senator Akaka was a Member from Hawaii on the other side of 
the aisle.
  His selfless example of public service, his ability to enact change 
on a bipartisan basis does provide a lesson for us right now, and 
really for all time. I think we can best honor him by carrying on that 
tradition, by figuring out how to solve problems, and that involves 
reaching across the aisle and getting things done. He was a man who 
believed we could make a difference here in this place.
  I see Majority Leader McConnell has now joined us on the floor, and 
he will tell you that George Voinovich always had the belief that 
things could be better. He was ultimately an optimist, and his ability 
to figure out how to get to a solution was something all of us can 
learn from. In Ohio, he was a public servant without equal.
  Tonight, I would like to offer a resolution honoring his memory. I 
urge all my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of S. Res. 493, which was submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Gardner). The clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 493) relative to the death of George 
     V. Voinovich, former United States Senator for the State of 
     Ohio.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 493) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
  Mr. PORTMAN. I thank the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, before the Senator from Ohio leaves the 
floor, I had an opportunity to listen to his tribute to our former 
colleague, Senator Voinovich, and he was indeed a stunningly successful 
public servant. I mean, just thinking about any Republican getting 
elected mayor of Cleveland, it is hard to imagine such a

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thing, and then to be so extraordinarily successful at every step in 
his career.
  I was privileged to get to know him when he came to the Senate. My 
colleague from Ohio knew him a lot longer than I did, but I wanted, on 
behalf of all of us who served with George, to thank the Senator for 
that extraordinary tribute to his outstanding life.

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