[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 19 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN SCHARER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 1997

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of my district's 
most dedicated and caring public servants, John Scharer, who recently 
retired after more than 2 decades of public service.
  John has served the city of Petaluma, CA for more than 24 years as an 
accountant, finance director, and, for the past 16 years, as city 
manager. His courage and creativity have helped to turn the city's 
economy around and prepare Petalumans to meet the challenges of the 
21st century. Under John's leadership, the city built a beautiful 
24,000 square foot community center, developed a wonderful marina and 
municipal airport, and converted a mortuary into a state-of-the-art 
police facility.
  I was fortunate to have served on the Petaluma City Council for 8 
years during John's tenure as city manager. Although we seldom 
disagreed on important issues, when we did, I never questioned John's 
commitment to the people of Petaluma. Through John's efforts, projects 
such as the Factory Outlet Village, the Auto Mall Plaza, and new 
industrial parks have allowed Petaluma to grow without losing its 
small-town charm. He also brought a Santa Rosa Junior College campus to 
Petaluma and came up with the successful plan to turn an empty 
agricultural experimentation center into a shelter for homeless 
families.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to John Scharer 
this evening. It would be difficult to find a person as committed to 
the future of Petaluma as John. Petalumans owe a great deal of 
gratitude to him for his tireless efforts on their behalf. He will 
certainly be missed.

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