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Declaring December 11th, 2019 Donna May Sanders Day.
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WHEREAS, Donna May was raised on Hyacinth Avenue on Saint Paul’s East Side, and she was the sixth of seven siblings; and
WHEREAS, Donna attended Hayden Heights, Blessed Sacrament, Hazel Park, and Johnson High Schools on the East Side; and
WHEREAS, like her sisters before her, Donna followed in the footsteps of her father, District Chief Allen May, who served with the Saint Paul Fire Department. She began working for the City of St. Paul in the Police Department’s Records Division in August of 1978; and
WHEREAS, Donna’s career also included years of service in the City’s Department of Planning and Economic Development, City Council Research, and in the Ward 5 City Council Office alongside former Councilmembers Jim Reiter and Lee Helgen, and current City Council President Amy Brendmoen; and
WHEREAS, she has embraced each new role (and boss) with optimism and professionalism, and she has generously lent her vast institutional knowledge to the benefit of the City and Ward 5; and
WHEREAS, Donna has earned a reputation of being a patient, kind, and professional member of the City’s team. She provides excellent service to every community member, and she maintains a calm, efficient demeanor no matter how many appointments must be scheduled and rescheduled (and re-rescheduled); and
WHEREAS, during the course of her career Donna met and married Conrad Sanders in 1983, and in 1991, they were blessed with their beautiful daughter Hannah; and
WHEREAS, Donna has always taken an interest in her colleagues--who often become her friends--and takes time to share in their joys, celebrate their milestones, and support them through challenges; and
WHEREAS, Donna is an avid traveler, and she will now be able to enjoy even more adventures in her retirement. She will continue making amazing photo books about her trips, practicing the art of mandala rock painting, and spending time with Conrad, Hannah, and her siblings and many friends; and
WHEREAS, Donna will be dearly missed by her co-workers and friends at the City of Saint Paul, though she has decidedly more than earned her retirement.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Saint Paul thanks Donna for her hard work and loyalty for the past 41 1/2 years, congratulates her on her impactful career, and wishes her the best in her retirement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council declares December 11, 2019 Donna Sanders Day in the City of Saint Paul.