“I had an intern. He did a lot for me. Now he is mayor. I am proud of him. His city has improved. His father was a good mayor too. His father would be proud of him. He will do more good things. I am happy for him and his family.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. President, each of us serving in the Senate hopes to leave behind some sort of legacy. My own begins with the interns that have passed through my office. Over my four decades in Congress, I have had more than 3,000 interns work for me at one point or another, although my staff are convinced that the true number is even higher. These young people have covered me with glory, and it has been a great privilege to help them get their foot in the door of politics. Today, I would like to recognize one of my former interns, who has made a name for himself in his own right: mayor of Rockford, Tom McNamara. Tom worked in my office in Washington, DC, in 2005, around the time he completed his undergraduate degree at John Carroll University. He arrived with a strong commitment to public service--a commitment instilled by his parents and honed during his time at school. At John Carroll, Tom volunteered at a correctional facility, where he assisted parolees and probationers who struggled with alcohol and substance use disorder. In between answering phone calls and giving tours of the Capitol, Tom's interest in the criminal justice system only deepened. He contemplated how he could improve the way we treat the incarcerated and how he could make his vision a reality. After completing his internship, Tom took on a full-time role in my office as a staff assistant. But, in a great loss for my operations, he soon decided that he wanted to continue his education at John Carroll and returned to his alma matter to obtain a master's degree in nonprofit administration. While studying, he simultaneously worked at a nonprofit to help incarcerated individuals reunite with their families and reintegrate into society. But Tom couldn't stay away from Rockford for long. After completing his master's, he moved back to the Forest City to be closer to his family. Upon his return, he immediately plunged himself into a wide array of community service initiatives and began to assist candidates in various political races. As Tom settled down in Rockford, he increasingly reflected on those who lacked the same opportunity. He could count on his fingers the number of his high school classmates who still lived in Rockford and was worried that this trend would continue unless someone fought to change it. Fortunately, Tom is not the kind of person to sit on the sidelines. In 2013, he ran to be alderman for Rockford's 3rd Ward, where he ran against a three-term Republican incumbent. Tom won and quickly got to work investing in Rockford. As alderman, Tom led initiatives to revitalize Rockford's housing market and spark new commercial developments across the city. When the city faced a budget crisis in 2017, Tom helped to craft a compromise resolution that spared the city from tax hikes while investing in public safety initiatives. With his success as a first-term alderman, it is no wonder that he won Rockford's 2017 mayoral race with 68 percent of the vote. If you want to know how Tom has performed as mayor, just look at the numbers. In 2021, there were 2,301 instances of violent crime in Rockford. Last year, there were 1,359--a 41-percent decrease over the course of 5 years. In 2017, Rockford's property tax rate was 3.31 percent. Today, it is less than 2 percent. Property values have increased 56 percent since 2017, the number of vacant buildings has decreased by 17 percent, and the city is adding thousands of jobs as major corporations move in. It is remarkable to witness the transformation Rockford has undergone under Tom's leadership. Dilapidated factories are being turned into new homes and businesses, and people are flocking to what the Wall Street Journal has described as America's ``top housing market.'' The problem of vacant homes has been reversed, and now Rockford is racing to construct enough houses for all those who hope to move to the area. While these changes are the fruits of the labor of thousands of people committed to Rockford's future, it is important to note the central role Tom has played in the city's redevelopment. Tom brought together police and community groups for more effective violence prevention programs. He worked with businesses and the city council to incentivize new developments across the city and balance Rockford's budget. As mayor, he brought an infectious sense of hope and optimism that now permeates throughout the city. I have worked with Tom throughout the years on a variety of Federal initiatives in Rockford, where I have had the opportunity to see his love for his city and community firsthand. Of course, if you knew Tom's family, none of this would be surprising. Public service runs in the McNamara blood. Tom's grandfather served on the city council and school board in Whiting, IN. And John, Tom's father, was a U.S. Army veteran, having earned a Bronze Star in Vietnam, and was mayor of Rockford during many of the Forest City's darkest years. Like Tom, John guided Rockford through an incredibly difficult time and helped the city recover from a devastating manufacturing recession. Also, like his son, John did it all with unyielding optimism. John was a dear friend of mine, and I know that he would be so proud to see all that Tom has accomplished. While Tom is stepping down from his position as mayor, his time in public service is far from over. Later this year, he will become CEO of the Illinois Municipal League, an organization representing Illinois' 1,300 municipalities. I look forward to seeing how he will support the State of Illinois in this new role. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to welcome Tom to the world of politics more than two decades ago. It has been a great honor to see him develop as both a leader and public servant. I hope the whole Senate will join me in congratulating Tom, his wife Sarah, and their children Olympia and Malachy as they begin the next chapter of their lives.
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