Mayor in joking mood, ‘4’ sure

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt brought warmest greetings from the city in his brief remarks at the investiture ceremony for new UW-Green Bay chancellor Thomas K. Harden on Oct. 30 at the Weidner Center.

Following an introduction by provost and ceremony emcee Julia Wallace, one that hinted at Schmitt’s busy schedule with Packers/Vikings Week and the much-ballyhooed Brett Favre homecoming game at Lambeau Field, the mayor played to the crowd.

He said when he looked at his schedule for the week — and interview requests from USA Today and “Good Morning America” and MSNBC and the New York Daily News, among others — “I thought, boy, this Chancellor Inauguration really is a big deal!”

Schmitt got an even bigger laugh when he referenced his tongue-in-cheek mayoral decree of Flip-Flop Friday (he changed into dress shoes for the formal ceremony, however) and Favre’s notorious indecisiveness. Turning to Harden, Schmitt advised, “I will say this, Chancellor: After you have served a long and successful career in Green Bay, retire once!”

The mayor went on to share genuine praise of Chancellor Harden, noting that Tom and his wife, Cathy, had already connected with the community and participated in a neighborhood association meeting that Schmitt attended. He called the campus/community partnership a strong one, and looked forward to working with UW-Green Bay’s new leadership.