[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF JAMES J. SPINELLO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DINA TITUS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 3, 2017

  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to include in the Record some 
inadequate yet heartfelt words to celebrate the life and mourn the loss 
of James J. Spinello. Jim was my dear friend, respected colleague, and 
trusted confidant. We met in 1988 when he was a Young Turk in the 
Nevada Assembly. Along with his friends, Matt Callister, Gene Porter, 
and Wendell Williams, he was a legislator with a mission. As members of 
the Marvin Sedway/Gary Gray posse of talented young idealists, they set 
out to change the world--and indeed they have made Nevada a better 
place, each in his own way.
  As an Assemblyman, Jim served as Chair of the Education Committee 
where he led the fight for class size reduction and as Vice Chair of 
the powerful Ways and Means Committee where he championed more funding 
for mental health. He was the serious, scholarly one of the bunch who 
had the compassion, knowledge, and work ethic to get things done.
  After two terms he went on to manage Nevada's state workers 
compensation system. He joined the administrative team at Clark County 
in 1997 for several years before becoming an integral player at R&R. 
Partners where he served as director of local government affairs. He 
loved his R&R family, especially Billy Vassiliadis, who was there for 
him in the most generous ways until the very end.
  Meanwhile, he taught classes part time at the University of Nevada, 
Las Vegas and the College of Southern Nevada, which he thoroughly 
enjoyed. He was a natural teacher and role model who entertained, 
educated, and inspired. He brought his practical experience as well as 
his academic training and a vast wealth of information to the 
classroom.
  Throughout all this time, Jim remained a wonderful friend, a man I 
trusted totally, which is a rare thing in politics today. We shared a 
Mediterranean temperament--mine Greek and his Sicilian. Boy, was he 
Sicilian. He had black curly hair and a beautiful singing voice (we 
called him Spinatra). He loved red wine and pasta, and loyalty was very 
important to him.
  Jim enjoyed traveling, especially with his beloved daughters, Lilly 
and Chessa. He traveled to Sicily with his girls to visit his mother's 
village and found some slightly suspect cousins along the way. 
Everything he did, he did with their futures in mind. He was very proud 
of them and spoke of them often. At the Sicilian wake following his 
service, there was consensus among those who had known Jim for a long 
time that he was, simply put, a really good guy--in the very best sense 
of the words. Billy V. noted that his legacy is in his girls and the 
many young people he taught in class and in the work place. Dick Cooper 
commented on how ethical he was: He just couldn't not tell the truth. 
Another legislative colleague, Ernie Alder, said Jim was polite enough 
to laugh at his jokes. And Tom Warden and Marc Hechter, who had been 
with Jim every day those last weeks, recalled when Jim had selflessly 
been there for them in trying times. Matt called him a true friend and 
Chris Giunchigliani remarked on his amazing strength of character and 
spirit.
  Tears were shed. Stories were told. Memories were bittersweet. He was 
a wonderful person to work with, to have a martini with, to stay out of 
or be in trouble with. He was loyal to me and I will always try to be 
loyal, in words and deeds, to his memory. The Spinner set a high bar. 
His passing is Nevada's loss.

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