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Recognizing Ricardo Cervantes’ career with the City of Saint Paul and congratulating him on his retirement.
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WHEREAS, Ricardo Cervantes grew up on Maria Avenue with his seven brothers and sisters and is a proud graduate of Mounds Park Elementary, Mounds Park Junior High, Harding High School and Macalester College; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo started his career with the building trades, later becoming a federal employee under the Federal Aviation Administration, transitioned to working for the City of Minneapolis and decided to come back to his home own and began working for the City of Saint Paul on November 1, 2010, as Director of the Department of Safety and Inspections; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo focused his career to create business-friendly improvements to the Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) and his guidance has led to the Department receiving numerous national and local awards for innovation; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo always brought a steady, thoughtful, project management and data-driven approach to successfully managing a large, complex and nuanced city department; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo always led people equally and treated people, programs and services equitably. His leadership led to the creation of an Equity Analysis Framework and completion of three major program impact assessment helping to close the disparity gap.
WHEREAS, Ricardo readily accepted the role to lead the city’s approach to managing the unsheltered homeless crisis, bringing to bear his compassion and endless energy and leveraging his carefully built personal relationships to provide a safety centered program to best support those in the community most in need; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo is an active member of his church recently working with them to assist a Karen Family in Saint Paul on their transition to American life; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo served the majority of his years with Saint Paul as the City-wide volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity building homes for those who need it in Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo’s creative and hands-on energies as a carpenter and tradesman have been channeled into beautiful and useful projects over the years; and
WHEREAS, in retirement Ricardo will be able to spend more time with his wife, Angela, their three children; Alex, Max, Xavier, two grandchildren, his brothers and sisters and numerous nieces and nephews; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo enjoys travelling and is a renowned chef and foodie; and
WHEREAS, Ricardo will have more time to enjoy the Minnesota United Major League Soccer team, biking and exercising; and
WHEREAS, after 11 years with the City of Saint Paul, Ricardo is bringing his public service career to a close; and now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, the Saint Paul City Council thanks Ricardo Cervantes for his many years of dedicated public service to the people of Saint Paul; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, In honor of Ricardo’s years of public service to the City of St. Paul, February 1, 2022, his last day of employment with the City of Saint Paul, will be known as Ricardo X. Cervantes Day in the City of St. Paul and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the Saint Paul City Council congratulates Ricardo Cervantes on his entrance into the next chapters of his life where he will be able to enjoy the fruits of his many years of labor with his loving family.