The city council honored former Alexandria mayor and retiring state senator Patsy Ticer with a proclamation Tuesday night, seeing her off after 30 years of public service.
    
Her legacy includes myriad successes on the local and state levels, particularly on the environmental and youth fronts.
    
This is where my heart is, in Alexandria, Ticer said. It was really a wonderful place to be serving with many of the people who are up here now, to add to this beautiful city and to add to the strength of this city.
    
Council members reminisced about Ticers iron stance against Jack Kent Cookes push for a Redskins stadium at Potomac Yard in the 90s.
    
She spoke up to a governor and a bully billionaire, said Councilwoman Del Pepper.
    
Pepper also shared a little known fact: Ticer helped propel current Mayor Bill Euille into politics during the nascent stages of his public service career.
    
I remember her telling me this guy is really special and youre going to like him, Pepper said.