Title
Honoring the life and public service of Charles (Chuck) Repke, Jr.
Body
WHEREAS, with the recent passing of Charles (Chuck) Repke, Jr., the City of Saint Paul lost one of its most active and civic-minded citizens, whose innumerable efforts to improve the city and the lives of its residents span nearly 50 years; and
WHEREAS, in those 50 years of service Chuck has held many titles -not the least of which include neighborhood activist, District Council Board President, Planning Commissioner,Ward 2 City Council Legislative Aide, City Charter Commissioner, Lobbyist, District Council Executive Director and Community Development Corporation Executive Director; and
WHEREAS, of all these titles, the most dear to Chuck were husband and best friend of Gloria, father of CJ and Matt, grandfather to Angel, Claudia and Christine, and friend and mentor to many more than can be counted; and
WHEREAS, prior to Chuck's joining the Saint Paul City Council team as former Council President Dave Thune's Legislative Aide, Chuck honed his skills working on many community issues, including Residents to Protest-35 E, and the fight against storefront prostitution in the guise of saunas and rap parlors populating our neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, in the 8 years Chuck served as former Council President Dave Thune's Legislative Aide, he set the bar very high for all Legislative Aides who followed, as he was a master of the local political and governmental world, understanding the strategies, logistics and partnerships necessary to envision the important projects which needed to occur, and bringing the skills to succeed executing them; and
WHEREAS, the projects Dave and Chuck worked on over the years reflected their unwavering commitment to quality of life of all Saint Paul residents,most notably the re-instatement of a meaningful human rights ordinance covering LGBT people, housing redevelopment and construction benefiting the owners and renters in long-neglected areas of Ward 2, bringing the Minnesota Wild to Saint Paul and passing ordinances regulating and eliminating nuisance businesses from the our neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, following Chuck's public service at the Saint Paul City Council; he continued his civic efforts, this time on the East Side of Saint Paul, guiding, shaping and bringing to fruition a wide variety of projects such as the Cub Foods at Phalen Village- the very first LEED Gold grocery store and catalyst for the full development of Phalen Village - a shopping center serving northeast neighborhoods of Saint Paul with a bank, 2 grocery stores, a drug store, medical clinics, restaurants and other businesses, and bringing numerous housing developments serving all income levels to the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, Chuck also played critical roles in many projects throughout the City in helping others to navigate the codes, policies, rules and regulations of Saint Paul City government - such as the redevelopment of Cleveland Circle following the fire, the advent of outdoor dining in the Mears Park area; and the ongoing redevelopment of the old Sholom Homes complex in the Midway and the rehabilitation of the Kaeding Building of the Residence Inn at 200 Grand Avenue by Hope Breakfast Bar; and the
WHEREAS, throughout his life he was guided in all his work by empathy and a stalwart commitment to those needing advocacy and representation in the halls of City government, balancing the hopes and needs of Saint Paul neighbors and businesses - striving for the best outcomes for all; Now; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council remembers, salutes and humbly thanks Chuck Repke, a respected and trusted member of the Saint Paul City Council family, for his 5 decades of service to the people of Saint Paul; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby declares Wednesday, September 1, 2021 "Chuck Repke Day" in the City of Saint Paul.