The Plain Dealer has announced the death of Stephanie Tubbs Jones
First announced shortly after noon on August 20th, the media finally confinally confirmed the death of Stephanie Tubbs Jones later the same day in the evening.
There is not more that anyone can add to the sorrow that must be felt in northeast Ohio for a strong woman with a big heart. I met Stephanie Tubbs Jones one time in 1994.  We both showed up for a career day at Forest Hills Elementary.  I watched her speak to the children at the school and I saw a generous, caring soul.  I am very sad today for our children.

  I just want to join the chorus of sadness on the death of Stephanie Tubbs Jones.  This week's Crain's Cleveland Business heralds her efforts on behalf of historic preservation. 

The Cleveland Restoration released this bulletin:
Stephanie Tubbs Jones

Cleveland, OH
August 22, 2008

The Cleveland Restoration Society, along with its national partner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, grieves the loss of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who represented Ohio's 11th District. She was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Historic Preservation Caucus, the Ways and Means Committee, and the House of Representatives' tax committee and was Ohio's first black female representative.

The Congresswoman was fast becoming a key leader in Washington on historic preservation legislation. Cleveland Restoration Society's Executive Director, Kathleen H. Crowther, and Honorary Life Trustee Bracy E. Lewis, called on the Congresswoman annually to discuss historic preservation's financial tools and grassroots strategies that are effective in Cleveland and across the country. She routinely supported historic preservation by voting in favor of increasing the Historic Preservation Fund, voting against efforts to eviscerate the protections of the so-called 4-f provision of the Federal Transportation Act, and various housing matters.

Mr. Lewis said, "Stephanie had an immediate appreciation of how historic preservation is valuable not just in her home town, but across the country. Particularly when she joined the House Ways and Means Committee, she carefully deliberated proposed legislation crafted by the National Trust that would make these financial tools more effective. She sent her staff on a road trip to see in action how these tools combine with other incentives to bring important reinvestment to communities like Cleveland. And then she became the lead champion in getting those provisions made law as part of the new housing stimulus bill."

According to Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, "Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones was one of our country's most tireless advocates for historic preservation on Capitol Hill. Just this year, she sponsored the Community Restoration and Revitalization Act, a critical piece of legislation that makes the historic tax credit work better for community revitalization. I remember how she told me, "I really want to get this bill passed because harnessing greater...potential in underutilized historic and older buildings and focusing more...investment in... 'main street' commercial structures makes so much sense. [It] has already transformed so many [Cleveland] communities."

As the sponsor of preservation's primary tax bill, Tubbs Jones and her staff worked diligently over the last several years to increase bipartisan support for the bill and to get in the measure three important changes to the historic tax credit - the first changes to the incentive in over two decades. These included an exemption from the Alternative Minimum Tax for the historic tax credit. As a result of her work, "historic nature" is now taken into account when state housing finance agencies allocate tax credits among projects. She also saw through an improvement to the historic credit supporting tax exempt use in tax credit properties. Prior to Tubbs Jones' work, projects with more than 35% tax exempt use had not been eligible for the full credit. All of these enhancements were a result of her tireless efforts to pass HR1043. She fought through the summer during the conference process with the Senate and it became law on July 23.

The Congresswoman attended the Cleveland Restoration Society's events on occasion, and often sent a staff person. She was always a welcomed sight with a big smile and opened arms to greet friends, old and new. And her staffers were on-the-ball in representing her effectively. "I remember vividly one meeting we had regarding the then-endangered historic Cozad Bates House. We were really the underdogs in the conversation about this dilapidated but historically significant structure. When the representatives from the Congresswoman's office arrived to support our case, everyone sat up a little straighter, and listened more intently. It made the difference in saving the building," said Ms. Crowther.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones understood the power of preservation. She will be greatly missed for her strength of personality and hard work to enable historic preservation efforts. To learn more about the Congresswoman's greatest preservation feat, see an article in this week's issue of Crain's Cleveland Business entitled "Tubbs Jones wins battle to ease rehab tax credit use, measures should help spur developers' efforts to restore historic sites" by Stan Bullard.

The Cleveland Restoration Society extends its deepest sympathies to the Congresswoman's family on this sad occasion.

I think Norm that your perceived "bad" efforts of Stephanie Tubbs Jones are far outweighed by the "goods' measured by her constituents.  None of us our perfect and I think you would find that Stephanie Tubbs Jones understood imperfection. 

Overall, I find it especially admirable that when she made a promise, she kept her word.  That alone canonizes her in my book.

  Grammarians out there--I meant to say "are perfect," but I guess I illustrate the point better with "our." 

Our problems are too real.  The death of Stephanie Tubbs Jones will literally cost us millions as Ohio taxpayers.