SJ130: Commending Paul D. Fraim.


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 130
Commending Paul D. Fraim.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, January 28, 2016
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 29, 2016
 

WHEREAS, Paul D. Fraim, a respected public servant who ably led the City of Norfolk through periods of great growth and revitalization, retires as mayor in 2016; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of service to his fellow Norfolk residents, Paul Fraim ran for and was elected to the Norfolk City Council in 1986; he was appointed mayor in 1994 and became the city’s first popularly elected mayor in nearly 100 years in 2006; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim was reelected as mayor in 2010 and 2014; under his leadership, the Norfolk community continued to grow, even as the population of many large cities throughout the country declined; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim oversaw the resurgence of downtown Norfolk, including the creation of new office buildings, a hotel, the Commonwealth’s first cruise-ship terminal, and residential construction that allowed the downtown population to grow considerably; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim helped the City of Norfolk develop the award-winning 90-acre East Beach neighborhood, as well as other new neighborhoods in the East Ocean View area, and the mixed-income community of Broad Creek; and

WHEREAS, supporting the youth of the community, Paul Fraim initiated one of the largest school-building programs in the city’s history, which will lead to the construction of nine new schools; and

WHEREAS, during Paul Fraim’s tenure as mayor, passenger rail lines returned to Norfolk and South Hampton Roads, and the United States Navy strengthened ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Supreme Allied Command Transformation; and

WHEREAS, under Paul Fraim’s leadership, the City of Norfolk established a Poverty Reduction Task Force, coordinated efforts to end poverty locally, and launched a 10-year plan to end homelessness, resulting in the construction of the region’s first single-resident-occupancy housing facility; Norfolk became the first community in the Commonwealth to effectively end veteran homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim forged successful public-private partnerships that resulted in improvements to the Virginia Zoo and the construction of Slover Library; he championed the financing and construction of a new consolidated courthouse; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Paul D. Fraim, a devoted public servant and community leader, on the occasion of his retirement as mayor of Norfolk; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Paul D. Fraim as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Norfolk community and best wishes for his well-earned retirement.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 130

Offered January 28, 2016
Commending Paul D. Fraim.
Patrons-- Lewis, Alexander and Wagner; Delegates: Bloxom and Lindsey

WHEREAS, Paul D. Fraim, a respected public servant who ably led the City of Norfolk through periods of great growth and revitalization, retires as mayor in 2016; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of service to his fellow Norfolk residents, Paul Fraim ran for and was elected to the Norfolk City Council in 1986; he was appointed mayor in 1994 and became the city’s first popularly elected mayor in nearly 100 years in 2006; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim was reelected as mayor in 2010 and 2014; under his leadership, the Norfolk community continued to grow, even as the population of many large cities throughout the country declined; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim oversaw the resurgence of downtown Norfolk, including the creation of new office buildings, a hotel, the Commonwealth’s first cruise-ship terminal, and residential construction that allowed the downtown population to grow considerably; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim helped the City of Norfolk develop the award-winning 90-acre East Beach neighborhood, as well as other new neighborhoods in the East Ocean View area, and the mixed-income community of Broad Creek; and

WHEREAS, supporting the youth of the community, Paul Fraim initiated one of the largest school-building programs in the city’s history, which will lead to the construction of nine new schools; and

WHEREAS, during Paul Fraim’s tenure as mayor, passenger rail lines returned to Norfolk and South Hampton Roads, and the United States Navy strengthened ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Supreme Allied Command Transformation; and

WHEREAS, under Paul Fraim’s leadership, the City of Norfolk established a Poverty Reduction Task Force, coordinated efforts to end poverty locally, and launched a 10-year plan to end homelessness, resulting in the construction of the region’s first single-resident-occupancy housing facility; Norfolk also became the first community in the Commonwealth to effectively end veteran homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Paul Fraim forged successful public-private partnerships that resulted in improvements to the Virginia Zoo and the construction of Slover Library; he also championed the financing and construction of a new consolidated courthouse; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Paul D. Fraim, a devoted public servant and community leader, on the occasion of his retirement as mayor of Norfolk; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Paul D. Fraim as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Norfolk community and best wishes for his well-earned retirement.