Dianne Feinstein
A Visionary Encouraging Human Rights Dianne Feinstein served as the 35th Mayor of San Francisco; the first woman to ever hold the office. She was elected to two full terms, and she served as Mayor one year prior to these elected terms after the assassination of Mayor George Moscone. She won her last term to the office with an 81 percent majority vote-one of the largest in the city's history. Mayor Feinstein inherited a deeply troubled city, so she went immediately to work to help the city get back to its former glory. She believes and acts on the proposition that all cities should be places of opportunity where the interests of all citizens must be given consideration. She took the helm and guided this golden ship with vision and strong personal management. Dianne Feinstein is always in the middle of a situations real hands-on person. Dianne Feinstein also served nearly nine years as a member of the Board of Supervisors. She was the body's first woman president for five of her nine years. Attention to San Francisco's neighborhoods was a strong goal of Mayor Feinstein, she and members of her staff and volunteers literally swept the city clean and painted out graffiti. She attacked the joblessness through the creation of the nation's first City Conservation Corps. She initiated and developed a program to increase the city's housing starts. Public safety received attention causing the serious crime rate to fall by almost 30 percent over a six year period. And the list goes on. Dianne Feinstein attacks each job with vigor, vision and, most important, results. As Dianne Feinstein said when asked what legacy she left to her city, "As a mayor who did her best to make San Francisco a better place to live, provided fiscal stability and vital public services, improved management within local government and created an effective role model for women in executive positions." It is with special pride that Women's International Center presents the Living Legacy Award to Dianne Feinstein, a strong savvy manager and a very good friend. Since receiving the Living Legacy Award in 1987, Dianne went on to run for Governor of California, losing by a narrow margin. Never one to allow one set back to deter her commitment to society, Feinstein ran and was elected to a two year term as U.S. Senator from California; she ran again in 1994, this time winning a four year term as Senator. She is considered by peers and consitituents alike to be a powerful and outspoken advocate for equality and advancement. |
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