...Title:
Proclamation honoring Reverend Dr. Honorable James E. Simms of St. Paul Baptist Church upon the occasion of his retirement.
...Body:
WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Honorable James E. Simms has exemplified the definition of a dedicated citizen of our great County with his demonstration of professional, civic, community and spiritual leadership; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Simms, a native of Richmond, Virginia, moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at an early age; Dr. Simms holds a bachelor's degree from Virginia Union University in sociology and history, and a doctorate from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; he pursued graduate work in Public Administration and Management from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Simms has served as the pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church for 40 years; under Rev. Simms leadership, the church has grown from humble beginnings in the Garfield community of Pittsburgh to a completely renovated building in the North Point Breeze area of the city; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Simms has had a long, distinguished career in public administration; he has served as a director in several departments in the City of Pittsburgh; he also served on the executive staffs of Mayors Pete Flaherty, Richard Caliguiri and Sophie Masloff; and
WHEREAS, in January 2002, he made history by being elected president of the inaugural Allegheny County Council, the first County Council in the history of Allegheny County; he served as Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee and was responsible for preparing and balancing the county's operating and capital budgets;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Allegheny County Council does hereby congratulate the Reverend Dr. Honorable James E. Simms upon the occasion of his retirement as pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church, and we thank him for his many years of dedicated service and significant contributions to our community.