Title
Renaming the Central Library as The George Latimer Central Library.
Body
WHEREAS, George Latimer was the Mayor of Saint Paul from 1976 to 1990, which is currently the longest tenure of any mayor in Saint Paul's history; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Latimer was a transformational leader who championed early childhood education and environmentally sustainable building policies long before their importance was widely accepted; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Latimer's passion for libraries and education was evident early in his life, growing up in Schenectady, NY, where he would spend hours reading classic literature and learning from librarians; and
WHEREAS, after his terms as mayor concluded, Mayor Latimer continued to champion Saint Paul by teaching at Macalester College and serving as the Dean of the Hamline University Law School; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Latimer served on the board of the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library from 1998 to 2012, including five years as its chair; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Latimer was elected Board Chair Emeritus of the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library board in 2012, the only person to be elected to that honor in the nearly 70 year history of the organization; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Public Library Agency Board wishes to acknowledge the enormous contribution of time, energy, support and dedication that Mayor Latimer has devoted to the Saint Paul Public Library Agency and has recommended that the downtown Central Library by named in his honor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Central Library shall be renamed The George Latimer Central Library.