[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE HONORABLE LOUIS L. GOLDSTEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR.

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 11, 1998

  Mr. EHRLICH. Mr. Speaker, July 4, 1998 was a bittersweet day for most 
folks in Maryland. Although they celebrated our nation's 222nd birthday 
with much fanfare, a legendary public servant who had been a mainstay 
in Maryland's Fourth of July celebrations, as well as a fixture in the 
lives of the state's citizens for decades, was absent.
  Maryland State Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein died unexpectedly on 
the eve of the Fourth at the age of 85. Comptroller Goldstein, or 
``Louie,'' as he was known to his many thousands of friends across 
Maryland, served a record 10 terms as Maryland's tax collector, and had 
held elective office since 1937, when he entered the Maryland State 
Senate. To most of our state's citizens, he was the only Comptroller 
they had ever known.
  Louie was a study in contradictions. He was an old-style political 
barnstormer who walked across his native Calvert County in search of 
votes, and who once shook hands with a mannikin. At the same time, he 
had an accountant's feel for numbers and an intuitive mastery of the 
intricacies of Maryland government. He mingled with the farmers in 
Southern Maryland and the bankers on Wall Street with equal ease. He 
could make it to a political breakfast on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and 
be back to Annapolis in time for a meeting of the powerful Board of 
Public Works, where he established a reputation as an unapologetic 
fiscal watchdog always looking out for the interests of the taxpayer.
  Mr. Speaker, there are three facets of Louie Goldstein's time in 
office which will help define his legacy. First, he brought to his 
responsibilities an unbridled enthusiasm, passion, and commitment for 
public service not often seen today. Second, he understood the 
importance of customer service, and strove to make the Maryland 
Comptroller's Office work for the state's taxpayers, rather than the 
other way around. Third, he brought a high degree of excellence to his 
duties, as evidenced by the fact that Maryland has consistently 
maintained its Triple A bond rating during his wise stewardship.
  Mr. Speaker, it may be difficult for anyone outside of Maryland to 
understand that, for decades, our tax collector was our state's most 
beloved public servant. This strange dichotomy is Louie's most enduring 
legacy. Nobody will ever replace Louie Goldstein's unique place in the 
hearts of Marylanders, nor should anyone ever try. I extend my personal 
condolences to Louie's children, Philip Goldstein, Louisa Goldstein and 
Margaret Janney. More importantly, I thank them for their father's rich 
legacy of service to the citizens of Maryland.

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