[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DR. TOM CLARK AND HIS HONORABLE CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______


                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 14, 1995

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, for the past three decades the city of Long 
Beach has benefited from the efforts of an extraordinary public 
servant, Dr. Thomas Clark, whose commitment and dedication have been 
integral to the city's development and growth over those years.
  Tom Clark, whom I am privileged to call a friend, has been described 
as ``a living piece of Long Beach history'' in a recent article in the 
Long Beach Press Telegram. He was first elected to the Long Beach City 
Council in 1966, and his list of achievements is considerable. As the 
Press Telegram reported, ``Clark pushed for a measure to put fluoride 
in the city's water supply, sponsored legislation that led to the 
construction of the Main Library and El Dorado Park and even rode 
aboard the Queen Mary when the historic ocean liner first sailed into 
Long Beach.''
  When Tom Clark announced that he would not seek reelection, it indeed 
signaled an end of an era. In addition to his three decades on the 
Council, Tom served two terms as the city's mayor, spending a total of 
7 years in that position. He and his helpful wife, Lois, who is a 
professional medical librarian, have spent thousands of hours 
representing Long Beach throughout the city and State, as well as 
nationally and abroad. And his leadership extended well beyond the 
city, ranging from the California League of Cities to the California 
Public Employees Retirement System.
  Tom exemplifies the best of what we seek in public service. The same 
days that he was spending countless hours in service to his fellow 
citizens as a member of the council, he was also working full-time as 
an optometrist, a practice from which he retired in 1993.
  In a November 8 editorial, the Press Telegram said this of Tom Clark: 
``Clark is the very model of a city councilman. He is earnest to the 
point of gravity; almost never raises his voice; thrives on meetings 
and compromise; relishes the role of public official; has only a 
moderately thin skin; is only modestly partisan; never seems to tire of 
solving neighborhood problems; and has served long and loyally for 
little pay. What more could we ask?''
  Tom Clark has regularly walked his council district. With a listed 
telephone, he was available to his constituents all times of night and 
day.
  Tom can take pride in his accomplishments and the legacy he has left. 
He will be missed on the council, but I am confident that he will 
always be available to serve the city he loves and has done so much to 
improve.
  Mr. Speaker, Tom Clark has conducted himself with honor. As citizen 
and office holder, he has symbolized good government and decency, not 
only in the yes of his friends and neighbors, but also to all who have 
known him.
  I ask that the Press Telegram editorial be placed at this point in 
the Record. The editorial follows:

           [From the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Nov. 8, 1995]

                       An Archetypical Councilman

       It's a bit early to say goodbye to Tom Clark, because he 
     plans to finish out his term before he retires as a Long 
     Beach city councilman. But a few kind words are timely, and 
     he deserves them.
       Clark is the very model of a city councilman. He is earnest 
     to the point of gravity; almost never raises his voice; 
     thrives on meetings and compromise; relishes the role of 
     public official; has only a moderately think skin; is only 
     modestly partisan; never seems to tire of solving 
     neighborhood problems; and has served long and loyally for 
     little pay.
       What more could we ask? (Actually, if we could, we'd change 
     his position on one or two things, but that's a different 
     subject.) Agree with him or not, he stood for what he 
     believed was best for his district and his community.
       As the longest-serving of his city's public officials, 
     Clark has been associated, for better or worse, directly or 
     indirectly, with a long list of public works and community 
     change; a performing arts center, downtown redevelopment, 
     creation of El Dorado Park and the purchase of the Queen Mary 
     (he rode it into town on its last voyage, and never abandoned 
     ship, so to speak).
       He has taken some flack now and then, most recently for his 
     support of reviewing the Los Altos Shopping Center (a 
     difficult and important task, and one that could not possibly 
     please everyone). But he seems to have created no real 
     enemies.
       Clark's most intense political opponent was former Mayor 
     Ernie Kell. Neither Clark nor Kell missed many opportunities 
     to take a shot at each other, mostly on the somewhat foggy 
     issue of leadership, and each regarded the other as an easy 
     target; yet both managed to keep their differences on a 
     mostly civil level. Clark lost a close election to Kell for 
     mayor at large, but in the end he outlasted him and at least 
     in that sense will have the last word.
       For years Clark was the best known of Long Beach officials. 
     He served twice as mayor at a time when that position was 
     filled by council members, and he so enjoyed city governance 
     that in his spare time he served as a leader of the 
     association of local elected officials, the California League 
     of Cities. Even now he probably wouldn't be stepping aside if 
     he felt there was no one properly qualified to take his 
     place.
       But, after all these years, he is retiring. Because he 
     served for such a long time--nearly a third of the history of 
     his city, it is hard to say what might be his most 
     significant accomplishment. Maybe it is pretty much what the 
     League of Cities might expect, or the charter of a council-
     manager municipal government might suggest: a citizen, 
     gainfully employed, who dedicates himself to elective office, 
     part-time, representing no special interest other than his 
     constituents, whom he serves honorably. As for what was most 
     important to him, it's probably best, as it nearly always 
     was, to take him at his word: that he wants to be remembered 
     as someone who cared.

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