[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 98 (Friday, July 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1405-E1406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ROSAIRE ``ROSS'' RAJOTTE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 1997

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
commend Rosaire ``Ross'' Rajotte on a distinguished and storied dual 
commitment of service to both his country and the community of 
Northbridge, MA. Remarkably, Ross Rajotte earned four Purple Hearts 
during World War II. He then returned home after the war to become a 
leader in municipal affairs, serving three times on the board of 
selectman, and as its chairman once, as well as helping establish both 
Northbridge's conservation commission and the planning and zoning board 
of appeals. An activist by nature, Ross Rajotte must also be recognized 
for his impeccable commitment of service to his community, which has 
witnessed Ross attend an incredible 50 consecutive annual town 
meetings. Ross` genuine concern for others is truly a product of his 
community`s similar desire to promote the public good.
  Mr. Speaker, I insert into the Record two newspaper articles about 
Ross Rajotte, one from the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and one from 
the Northbridge Times, detailing Ross Rajotte`s outstanding and 
distinguished service.

            [From the Northbridge (MA) Times, May 15, 1997]

 Fifty in a Row--Ross Rajotte Started Attending Town Meeting in 1947--
                   and Hasn't Missed an Annual Since

                              (By Rod Lee)

       Standing on the Whitinsville Town Common for middle 
     schoolers' Civil War Monument Rededication Ceremony last 
     Thursday morning, Rosaire J. ``Ross'' Rajotte was still sky-
     high from having attended his fiftieth consecutive Annual 
     Town Meeting less than forty-eight hours earlier--an 
     unprecedented mark at least within the Blackstone Valley and 
     possibly throughout the Commonwealth and the nation.
       Rajotte had reason to rejoice: not only did two of the 
     three articles he submitted by petition for the warrant win 
     voter approval on the floor of the Northbridge High School 
     auditorium last Tuesday evening, he was also singled out for 
     praise by Town Moderator Harold D. Gould Jr. and received 
     legislative proclamations and standing ovations from fellow 
     residents in recognition of his remarkable achievement. He is 
     to Northbridge Town Meeting in terms of longevity what the 
     fabled and now-retired runner Johnny Kelley is to the Boston 
     Marathon.
       Most persons in their mid-seventies like Rajotte, or 
     approaching that age, and a few who have even passed it, 
     admit they cannot fathom such stalwartness.
       Even Whitinsville Attorney Joseph Jundanian, who will turn 
     eighty-two in September, shakes his head in wonder when he 
     contemplates Rajotte's record.
       ``I'm not that faithful,'' Jundanian said. ``I started 
     attending in the 1950's, but I haven`t gone to every meeting. 
     Ross, he's a living legend.
       ``I'm perhaps the oldest active public official in the 
     state of Massachusetts because I was nominated for the 
     Northbridge Housing Authority in 1956 and am still a member. 
     I've had cause to be at Town Meeting on most occasions. But 
     Ross is a very active person, and deserves a great deal of 
     credit.''
       Another Town Meeting ``old-timer,'' Jerry Bagdasarian, says 
     that compared to Rajotte,

[[Page E1406]]

     ``I'm a newcomer. I've been attending probably twenty years, 
     no more than twenty-five. I was always more inolved in the 
     national scene until my brother Peter told me what happens 
     locally is more important. I give Ross a lot of credit.''
       Brunham P. Miller says he has been attending Town Meeting 
     ``since moving back to the area in 1957''--and so has racked 
     up nearly forty appearances of his own. But Miller has missed 
     several of those, one because he was ill and at least one 
     other because he was away. He has known Rajotte a long time 
     and admires his commitment.
       ``I served with Ross on the first Charter Commission,'' 
     Miller said. ``He was active then and still is. He's so 
     dedicated and concerned about town government. What he 
     believes in he believes in strongly, and he works hard to 
     bring it about.''
       Robert McConnell, who serves as assistant town moderator 
     and who's been a teller at Town Meeting for a number of 
     years, said he began attending ``sometime in the 60's'' and 
     says he considers it amazing ``how loyal Ross has been all 
     that time. When I was first on the Finance Committee,'' 
     McConnell said, ``I honestly didn't realize the man's good 
     intentions. I thought he was a pest. I came to realize he has 
     the best interests of the town at heart and whether you agree 
     with him or not on an issue, he always treats you the same.''
       New Northbridge Town Manager William Williams, who attended 
     his first Northbridge Town Meeting, said he has never met 
     anyone quite like Rajotte.
       ``I have encountered people like him, but this is the first 
     time I've met someone who brings such objectivity to their 
     attendance, and not just a negativity. I've seen people who 
     are veterans of Town Meetings, but usually they're `Rogue's 
     Gallery'-type characters.''
       ``Two of my articles passed!'' Rajotte beamed last 
     Thursday, seemingly as pleased by this hoopla over his 
     fiftieth. Article 26, which asked voters for the 
     appropriation of $600.00 to print a large-book real estate 
     and personal property valuation list, was approved. So too 
     was the last article on the warrant, Article 30, which called 
     for selectmen to ask members of Congress and the State 
     Legislature to file bills not to allow public funds to be 
     used to perform abortions. Article 28, seeking establishment 
     of a five-member Consumer Advisory Board appointed by 
     selectmen, was rejected.
       One highlight of Spring Annual Town Meeting was approval by 
     voters of a $11.3 million School Dept. budget that represents 
     a 13.5 spending increase over FY '97--and $40,000 to fund 
     consultant services towards determining a site for a new high 
     school.


     
                                                                    ____
      [From the Worcester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, May 6, 1997]

                 Rajotte Hits ``Tremendous'' Milestone

                             (By Jim Bodor)

       Northbridge.--No one will ever call Rosaire J. ``Ross'' 
     Rajotte a quitter.
       During World War II, he was injured four times--earning 
     four Purple Hearts--before he finally left the battlefield.
       He caught a piece of shrapnel in his chest in Germany, a 
     piece of mine in the head in France, and a bullet in the back 
     of the neck in France.
       But it wasn't until shrapnel ripped off part of his right 
     foot in Germany that he was forced to end his tour of duty.
       Back home in Northbridge, Rajotte's persistence has 
     manifested itself on the town meeting floor.
       Year after year, decade after decade, he has argued the 
     pros and cons of every budget, zone change and land purchase 
     to come before the town.
       Tonight, Rajotte will attend his 50th consecutive annual 
     town meeting, extending a local record that many believe will 
     never be surpassed.
       ``There probably has never been a public official as 
     devoted as Ross Rajotte,'' said Spaulding Aldrich, himself a 
     town meeting veteran of about two decades. ``Whether you 
     agree or disagree with him, you have to respect him because 
     he does it because he loves his town.''
       Rajotte's string of annual town meetings began in 1948, and 
     was inspired by his service in the U.S. Army.
       ``When I was in the Army they used to talk to us about 
     responsibility, and participating in your government,'' he 
     said. ``So I went when I got home and I liked it and I kept 
     going.''
       Rajotte has been a member of the Board of Selectmen three 
     times, serving as chairman once. He is credited with starting 
     the town's first Conservation Commission and its first 
     planning and zoning boards of appeals.
       He has belonged to several veteran's committees, and has 
     sponsored more than 100 articles at town meeting.
       He also has filed countless bills with the state 
     Legislature, on everything from prohibiting public funding of 
     abortions, to mandating that dogs wear diapers in public.
       ``I never thought I would live this long to do all this,'' 
     Rajotte said in his lilting French-Canadian accent, which is 
     instantly recognizable to town meeting devotees. ``I'll go as 
     long as I can.''
       Numerous health problems have threatened Rajotte's streak 
     in recent years. A pesky bout with pneumonia, for instance, 
     put him in the hospital as recently as last week.
       But his enthusiasm for town government is limitless. He 
     once recruited two softball teams from a nearby ball field to 
     reach a quorum at a town meeting. And he is the sponsor of 
     three articles at this year's town meeting.
       One calls for the town to reprint the list of property 
     values in town; another calls for the creation of a consumer 
     advisory commission to protect the elderly from scams; the 
     third calls for the town to notify Congress that it opposes 
     public funding of abortions.
       Town Moderator Harold J. Gould, a veteran of 23 town 
     meetings, said Rajotte's streak is particularly amazing at a 
     time when interest in local government seems to be waning.
       ``Obviously it's a tribute to the individual and his 
     interest in the town and town government,'' said Town 
     Moderator Harold J. Gould. ``To be able to hold a string 
     together like that for 50 years is a tremendous thing.''

     

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