2004 Adopted Resolutions
72nd Annual Meeting
Boston

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COMMENDATION OF U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS PAST PRESIDENT AND FORMER MAYOR OF KNOXVILLE VICTOR ASHE ON HIS CONFIRMATION AS AMBASSADOR TO POLAND

WHEREAS, as Mayor of Knoxville, Victor Ashe served his city with great distinction for sixteen years, concentrating on improving the city’s financial condition, making sure that city neighborhoods were clean and safe, developing new and innovative ways to deliver essential public services while maintaining a level tax rate, and developing new parks and greenways; and

WHEREAS, in 1994 and 1995, Victor Ashe served as an outstanding President of the Conference of Mayors, leading the battle against unfunded federal mandates, resulting in passage of a mandate relief bill which was signed into law by the President in March, 1995; and

     WHEREAS, when Mayor Ashe hosted the Conference of Mayors Leadership Meeting in Knoxville, he ensured that mayors had the opportunity to view best practices and model programs, including the significant role of the fine arts and parks and green spaces in contributing to the livability of Knoxville; and

     WHEREAS, Mayor Ashe participated in the U. S. Conference of Mayors Mission to Africa in September 2003, led by President James A. Garner of Hempstead, the largest international mission in the history of the Conference of Mayors, and Mayor Ashe led the delegation of mayors that visited Uganda to learn from and share experiences with Uganda mayors on the challenges of HIV/AIDS to that nation and the continent of Africa; and

     WHEREAS, throughout his tenure as Mayor of Knoxville, Mayor Ashe’s active participation in the Conference of Mayors contributed greatly to the programs, committees, and policies of the organization, sustaining the Conference’s role as a major and powerful national advocate for cities and suburbs and the people who live in them; and

     WHEREAS, the U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Victor Ashe by the President of the United States George W. Bush to be U.S. Ambassador to Poland, a post in which he will begin serving in mid-July 2004,

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U. S. Conference of Mayors assembled in this, the 72nd Annual Conference of Mayors in Boston, offers its most heartfelt and sincere congratulations to Ambassador Victor Ashe, his wife Joan, and their children, and conveys warmest good wishes for a successful and productive tenure as Ambassador to Poland.