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Unbowed, Mayor Kelly heads for the exit
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| Parent(s) |
Candidate
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| Contributor | Eric |
| Last Edited | Eric Dec 27, 2005 11:05pm |
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| Category | Profile |
| Media | Newspaper - Star Tribune, The (Minneapolis - St. Paul) |
| News Date | Wednesday, December 28, 2005 05:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Randy Kelly firmly believes that when one door closes, others open.
Even so, he said, "It's sort of scary to be unemployed at age 55 for the first time in 41 years."
Widely considered the city's hardest-working politician -- as well as one of its most combative -- Kelly will end three decades of public service when he leaves his City Hall office this week.
Former City Council Member Chris Coleman, who trounced Kelly at the polls last month, will be sworn in as his successor on Jan. 3.
As the door closed this month on Kelly's four years as St. Paul mayor, he spent time thanking businesspeople, volunteers and others who he said helped him achieve many of his goals.
And friends and supporters stopped by to thank him. They saw him as a fearless and decisive leader who steered the city through its worst financial crisis in years and met challenges head-on.
Opponents said he was often arrogant and out of touch, and made too many decisions without consulting council members or community leaders.
Kelly himself dismisses his reputation -- a my-way-or-the-highway pol -- as an easy foil for his political enemies.
"Taking leadership and getting results is the hallmark of my political career, and I'm not going to apologize for it," said Kelly, in a recent interview in his City Hall office.
He points to a list of more than a dozen accomplishment he believes will form his legacy. Among the projects he hopes endure, he said, are the 5,000 new housing units opened in his term, the bioscience center on University Avenue, the new police headquarters at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center and the Rondo Community Library and housing complex. |
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