[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 34 (Thursday, February 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3068-S3069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              TRIBUTE TO THE CONCERNED CITIZENS OF BAYONNE

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
pay tribute to the Concerned Citizens of Bayonne [CCB] on the 
organization's 25th anniversary. I also want to call special attention 
to the contributions that Mr. Frank Perrucci has made to the 
organization and the community.
  In 1970, Frank and Jean Perrucci, Vinnie Perrucci, Joseph Brache, Sal 
Covella, Penny Covella, Pete Capitano, John Baccarella, Jean McMahon, 
and Nicholas Mangelli met at Frank and Jean's home in Bayonne. It was 
here that they agreed unanimously to form the Concerned Citizens of 
Bayonne, so that citizens could participate in decisions which affect 
Bayonne, Hudson County, and New Jersey.
  No time was wasted. They immediately became involved in the upgrading 
of the jury system, led the opposition to the taxation of Social 
Security 
[[Page S3069]]  benefits, heightened community awareness on the evils 
of pornography, and called attention to the location of a toxic waste 
facility in Newark Bay.
  The CCB continuously reaffirms its belief that a strong and vibrant 
community exists only where its citizens get involved and stay 
involved. They accomplish this by initiating community efforts to 
support projects such as building an indoor ice skating rink, keeping 
parks clean, and supporting programs like Toys for Tots and Pennies for 
Miss Liberty. They have participated in and led fundraising drives to 
assist the Bayonne Hospital, the high school football team, Italian 
earthquake victims, and the starving millions in Ethiopia.
  Mr. Frank Perrucci, while carving out his own career as a leader with 
the Laborers' International Union of North America, always found time 
for others. He served as an aide to Congressmen Dominick Daniels and 
Joseph LeFante and is a former director of community development in 
Bayonne. Over the years, as captain of the Catholic War Veterans color 
guard, he has travelled extensively throughout New Jersey, 
participating in veterans events and parades.
  Frank, himself a member of the merchant marine and a soldier during 
WWII, made sure that his organization always remembered to support 
American military troops during peacetime and war.
  During Desert Storm, CCB members regularly corresponded with military 
personnel overseas, as well as conducted drives to send ``goodies'' and 
necessities to those supporting democracy so far from home.
  Aside from being the proud husband of Jean, the father of four 
wonderful children and seven grandchildren, Frank Perrucci is quoted as 
saying that the proudest part of his life is serving others through the 
committed, loyal, and hard-working members of the Concerned Citizens of 
Bayonne.
  Therefore, Mr. President, I take special pleasure in standing before 
you today to thank and congratulate Mr. Frank Perrucci and the members 
of the Concerned Citizens of Bayonne. They are a special group of 
people who know what it takes to make a strong community. They have 
unselfishly committed themselves time after time to keeping Bayonne one 
of the safest, cleanest, and proudest cities in the United 
States.


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