[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18825-S18826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO AN INDISPENSABLE AMERICAN

 1Mr. DODD. Mr. President, last month I was proud to learn that 
a member of my staff received an extraordinary accolade that is as 
fitting as it is complimentary. U.S. News & World Report named Stanley 
Israelite, my friend, counsel, and senior adviser in my State office in 
Connecticut, as 1 of 12 ``indispensable Americans.'' It was an honor 
and a tribute, but not a surprise. Stanley's friends, his colleagues--
and most certainly the people of Connecticut--have known that for 
years.
  The best decision I ever made was hiring Stanley Israelite. He has 
been a dedicated public servant in every sense of the term, and I have 
trusted his counsel and treasured his companionship throughout my 21 
years as a Member of Congress. Mr. President, it is with pride, 
admiration, and deference that I ask that this article from the 
November 27, 1995 issue of U.S. News & World Report be printed in the 
Record.
  The article follows:

                        Hounding the Bureaucrats

                           (By James Popkin)

       Lots of people's problems with their government aren't 
     ideological, they're logistical. That's why many rely on the 
     congressional aides like Stanley Israelite to help them fight 
     their battles with government agencies.
       At age 70, Stanley Israelite is fighting a crusade to prove 
     the cynics wrong. Since 1975, when the gravelly voiced former 
     Brooklynite first went to work for then Rep. Christopher Dodd 
     (now a senator), Israelite has helped thousands of 
     Connecticut citizens replace lost passports, track down late 
     tax refunds, ship dearly departeds to grieving families 
     overseas and even bail the occasional misbehaving Connecticut 
     teenager out of Mexican jails.
       All successful members of Congress have staffers like 
     Israelite who can goose reluctant bureaucrats into action. 
     Although Dodd happens to be a Democrat, effective constituent 
     service is a congressional specialty that cuts across 
     political lines. It's first and foremost a matter of good 
     politics: Good service results in happy voters. But what 
     distinguishes Israelite is his gusto for the job. And his 
     not-so-artful technique: ``When I call 

[[Page S18826]]
     an agency because somebody is waiting for her Social Security check or 
     a guy is waiting for an FHA loan and the agency gives me some 
     song and dance, I try to let them know I'm not gonna take any 
     of their crap,'' he says. ``At times, I tell them I've 
     discussed this problem with the senator. Sometimes, it isn't 
     true.''
       A former jewelry store owner and Chamber of Commerce honcho 
     from Norwich, Conn., Israelite is Dodd's pipeline to many of 
     the state's small-business owners. Harry Jackson, a lifelong 
     Republican who is the City Council president in Norwich, 
     recalls how difficult it was to get a meeting with officials 
     from the Environmental Protection Agency when the city wanted 
     to build a new firehouse on federal land. ``Stan got us in 
     there after just one phone call,'' says Jackson, who 
     ultimately built the firehouse.


                            things happened.

       Don Daren says Israelite was a lifesaver in 1981, when a 
     state-based paper distributor was trying to secure a $900,000 
     umbrella loan from the Connecticut Development Authority. 
     Daren, who owns the Arrow Paper Supply and Food Co., says it 
     was going to take forever for the CDA to process his loan 
     papers so he could buy a new warehouse. ``Stanley told them 
     [CDA officials] my problem, and things happened right away,'' 
     says Daren, whose business has grown from 36 workers then to 
     nearly 200 today. ``He has his own constituency. People like 
     Stanley.''
       Ideally, says veteran Hartford Courant political columnist 
     Don Noel, senators like Dodd would use their clout on Capitol 
     Hill to fix bureaucracies and make them more consumer 
     friendly--eliminating the need for taxpayer-financed 
     ombudsmen like Israelite. But since that goal seems 
     unattainable, Noel figures that Israelite plays a vital role. 
     ``If you have something you need the senator to do for you, 
     if anyone can do it, Stanley can,'' he says.
       Israelite admits that he is motivated by a desire to help 
     re-elect Dodd. But he adds: ``Part of what drives me is 
     knowing that there's someplace where somebody can go when 
     they are not getting anyplace.''

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