[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SULLIVAN LEADS BY DOING

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 1997

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, we hear a lot from from time 
to time about burnout--about people whose constitutions are too 
delicate to allow them to continue with hard work. Unfortunately, that 
is a condition which often affects those who have taken on a commitment 
to serve others, especially recently, when the Nation has, sadly, cut 
back on the resources it makes available to people who seek to 
alleviate poverty and injustice.
  I hope, Mr. Speaker, that the next time someone committed to this 
fight starts to feel sorry for himself or herself and contemplates 
easier work, they will read the following editorial and take some 
inspiration from the example of Mark A. Sullivan.
  As this editorial in the Fall River Herald News explains, Mark 
Sullivan has been the chief executive--and chief strategist, motivator, 
and philosopher--of Citizens for Citizens in Fall River, MA, an 
effective community action agency.
  I was fortunate enough to meet Mark Sullivan 15 years ago when the 
Massachusetts congressional district lines were changed and I found 
Fall River and myself in the same congressional district. Throughout 
the ensuing period, Mark Sullivan has been one of the strongest sources 
of advice, encouragement, and inspiration to me.
  The Fall River Herald News editorial aptly describes the respect in 
which he is so justifiably held by those who work for him and, perhaps 
most interestingly, against him. Mr. Speaker I have always felt lucky 
to hold this job, and one of the examples I give when people ask me to 
explain why I feel that way is that I have had the chance to know, 
befriend, learn from, and work with Mark Sullivan.

                        Sullivan Leads By Doing

       The row of crock pots lined up along the buffet table at 
     Mark A. Sullivan's silver anniversary celebration just about 
     said it all.
       The decidedly casual affair, held at Citizens for Citizens 
     headquarters on Griffin Street, was organized as a surprise 
     to the man who has served as its executive director for the 
     past 25 years.
       Clearly, Sullivan's employees know him well. Home-cooked 
     chourico and peppers is more his style than filet mignon and 
     Delmonico potatoes. And that unpretentiousness is the source 
     of both Sullivan's charm and success.
       The son of a bus driver/union president and community 
     activist in his own right, Sullivan learned to accept people 
     from all walks of life at a tender age. Sullivan credits both 
     his mother and father with teaching him--by example--to treat 
     all people equally.
       That's a quality Sullivan has carried into his work at the 
     community action agency, where he put his own unique and 
     refreshing spin on it.
       Renowned--at least in The Herald News newsroom--for knowing 
     how to turn a phrase, Sullivan is seldom without an opinion 
     on issues that effect his constituency.
       ``That designation qualifies us for a grant of $256,000 to 
     eliminate poverty in southeastern Massachusetts,'' Sullivan 
     once said, explaining the Fall River City Council's 
     endorsement of the agency. ``And that's enough to buy 
     everybody a hamburger and send them home.''
       Indeed, Sullivan has demonstrated a gift for glibness, but 
     also for putting a human face on dry statistics with 
     irreverent, no-nonsense--sometimes bordering on offensive--
     explanations.
       The sideburns that dipped an inch or two below his earlobes 
     have long since been trimmed and the thickly pin-striped suit 
     probably placed in mothballs since Sullivan began as CFC 
     director in 1972, but his passion about his job remains 
     undiminished.
       Even though Sullivan expresses disdain for what was once 
     known as the war on poverty, pointing to the absurdity of its 
     existence in the greatest economic nation in the history in 
     the world, he has been one of its finest warriors
       The secret to his success, Sullivan says with 
     characteristic modesty, is his talent for hiring good people. 
     ``I've hired people of good character and intelligence,'' he 
     said. None of them, we suspect, doubt where the ultimate 
     authority lies, however. A sign on Sullivan's wall in a 1985 
     photograph reading, ``Never mind the dog--beware of the 
     owner,'' sums up his philosophy on those who cross him.
       His shirt sleeves ever rolled up, Sullivan has well earned 
     his reputation as a hands-on administrator. Having never 
     hesitated to admit his own foibles, Sullivan's empathy for 
     those he serves no doubt comes from having experience in 
     life's valleys himself.
       Citizens for Citizens is an apt name for an agency of 
     people helping people. And no one seems better suited to 
     leading the organization than the unassuming Sullivan.

     

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