[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 37 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           CITY OF HACKENSACK

 Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I rise today to inform the 
Senate that Americans are still committed to economic progress and that 
local government is not powerless in the face of economic challenges. 
In my home State of New Jersey, the city of Hackensack has shown that 
dedication to solving long-term economic problems can be accomplished 
with practical leadership utilizing innovative solutions.
  Over the past few years, the city of Hackensack had seen its downtown 
population decrease and its economic stability put at risk. The people 
of Hackensack were not to be deterred from making their city the best 
it could be. So, instead of accepting an unsatisfying economic fate, 
Hackensack's mayor and city council called together local business 
leaders to establish the Hackensack Economic Development Commission. 
This pioneering commission set out to study the city's economic climate 
and propose steps toward its continuing development.
  This study, conducted by the Eagleton Institute's Center for Public 
Interest Polling at Rutgers University, is the first of its kind by a 
municipality in our State. The city's initiative and creativity in 
utilizing these research tools should be commended. Hackensack's 
climate study is unique in that it reached a broad range of people, 
over 5,000 residents and workers of the Hackensack area. The wide scope 
and depth of the study is a model for similarly situated cities in New 
Jersey.
  Yet, more than a model for New Jersey, the efforts of the commission 
serve as a model for the entire country to prove that with solid 
community commitment, ongoing economic growth can be a reality. Thus, I 
ask that you join me in recognizing the city of Hackensack in its 
devotion to be an improved economic development and commend its 
foresight and planning to other cities across the Nation.

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