[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1275-E1276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING RAMSEY COUNTY COMMISSIONER VICTORIA REINHARDT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 16, 2024

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the distinguished career 
of Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt on her retirement 
after 28 years of public service on the Ramsey County Board. Since her 
election in 1996, residents of District 7 in Maplewood, North Saint 
Paul and White Bear Lake have been well-served by her leadership. 
Currently, she also leads the board for the third time as Chair.
  During her 28 years of distinguished leadership, Commissioner 
Reinhardt has made lasting impacts in areas including transportation, 
housing, public safety, fiscal responsibility, environmental 
stewardship, and more. In 1999, she testified before a congressional 
committee on how local units of government can work together more 
effectively. In 2000, she was presented with the Bruce F. Vento 
Distinguished Service Award by the Minnesota Coalition for the 
Homeless. In 2012 she was named County Commissioner of the year by the 
Association of Minnesota Counties. Under her leadership as longtime 
chair of the budget committee, Ramsey County has earned the top bond 
rating for 21 consecutive years.
  Commissioner Reinhardt's long-standing advocacy for environmental 
sustainability that originally led her to run for a seat on the county 
board against a 22-year incumbent. Previously, she was a founding board 
member and chairperson of the Recycling Association of Minnesota and 
chairperson of the White Bear Lake Recycling Advisory Committee. She is 
currently a member of the Association of Minnesota Counties' 
Environment and Natural Resources Committee, the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency's Local Government Advisory Committee, Vice Chair of 
the Environment, Energy and Land Use Committee for the National 
Association of Counties, and Vice-Chair of the Ramsey/Washington 
Recycling and Energy Board. She is recognized across the country as a 
leader in environmental stewardship and a champion for sustainable 
practices throughout Minnesota's east metro communities.
  Commissioner Reinhardt holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of 
Business Administration from Metropolitan State University in Saint 
Paul. She received a Doctorate in Public Administration from Hamline 
University, where her dissertation informed her county work by focusing 
on calculating the cost savings of juvenile crime prevention.
  It has been an honor to have Commissioner Reinhardt serve as my 
commissioner. I have deep respect for Victoria's work and dedication to 
public service and am grateful to call her a friend. As she retires, I 
wish her well, along with her husband JP and her entire family.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in this well-deserved tribute to 
Commissioner Victoria

[[Page E1276]]

Reinhardt on the occasion of her retirement after nearly three decades 
of distinguished public service on the Ramsey County Board.

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