June 26, 2014 - Mayor Rogero made the following statement about Howard H. Baker Jr.:
"I'm very sad to hear of Sen. Baker's passing. He was a giant in American politics and a world statesman whose first love was always East Tennessee.
I think of Howard H. Baker Jr. as a role model - for Republicans, naturally, but also for Democrats. He was a soft-spoken conciliator who believed all his life in respectful governing.
Today, we see so much gridlock in national politics. Sen. Baker was a consensus builder who was not afraid to walk across the aisle to the other political party. He brought people together to constructively work out their differences and solve problems."