[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 7, 2002)] [Senate] [Pages S3949-S3950] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RECOGNITION OF MAYOR TOM MENINO'S ACCOMPLISHMENT TO LEAD THE U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORSMr. KERRY. Madam President, I am proud to join in celebrating an extraordinary milestone for my friend, Mayor [[Page S3950]] Tom Menino, an honor shared by all the people of Boston who have benefitted from Tom's remarkable leadership in our city. A reflection of all that he has accomplished and continues to achieve, Mayor Tom Menino ascends to the position of President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. I am proud to join his family, staff and colleagues across the country in congratulating him as he embarks on this new challenge. Since his election as Mayor in 1993, Tom Menino has been tireless in his efforts to make the nation's greatest city even stronger. As he begins his term as President of the Conference, mayors from across the country will find in Tom a friend and a national trail blazer as the chief spokesperson and leader of their efforts. Tom Menino's record of achievement already serves as a blueprint for our nation's cities; in 2001 he was recognized by Governing Magazine as ``Public Official of the Year,'' dubbing him the ``Main Streets Maestro.'' Mayors from cities from Houston, Detroit to Philadelphia have come to Boston to study Tom's approach to governing, and each has returned to their own city and implemented a piece of Boston's success story. After a recent Boston visit, Mayor O'Malley returned to Baltimore to open an Office of Neighborhoods, borrowing a page from the Menino play book. But it is in the neighborhoods of Boston where the results of his hands-on management style are most visible. In places like Grove Hall and Jackson Square, new businesses are starting up, community development corporations are working hand-in-hand with the Mayor to jump start new developments and rehabilitate old buildings, and small, locally-owned businesses are flourishing in all corners of the city. But do not take my word for it, just look at the statistics: Crime rates are dramatically lower than 10 years ago; the public school drop- out rate has been cut in half during Tom's time in office; and almost 70 percent of Boston's high school graduates continue on to college. Mayor Menino's work on behalf of the children of Boston reflects a long term commitment that reaches far into the future: He has almost doubled the number of immunized children; launched a youth literacy campaign that has been replicated in over 100 other U.S. cities; and Tom Menino is the first mayor of a major city to completely wire the school system to the Internet. Mayor Menino has partnered with the Ten Point Coalition and other violence prevention groups to create successful programs like Operation Ceasefire and ``2 to 6'', that target the city's at risk youth with activities and structure during those crucial after school hours. I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tom Menino as we move ahead and continue our work together on improving public schools, increasing the availability of affordable housing and making our streets as safe as they can be. He is a dedicated and talented public servant, one whom I am fortunate to call a colleague and friend, and I join the whole Massachusetts delegation and mayors across the State in congratulating him on his Presidency of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. ____________________