[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2281-E2282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE BEST OF STAFF

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS J. MANTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 20, 1998

  Mr. MANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my staff, both past 
and present, for their fine work, dedication, and loyalty.
  Mr. Speaker, today, I likely cast my last vote as a Member of this 
august body. For fourteen years, I have served proudly my constituents 
of the 7th Congressional District of New York. I hope that I have 
served them well. I would be remiss, however, if I did not acknowledge 
and praise the hard-working men and woman who have served with me.
  Congressional staff are all too often overlooked in their daily 
duties and under-appreciated for their efforts. But, as my colleagues 
well know, this great democratic institution

[[Page E2282]]

simply could not function without the good work and commitment of our 
staff.
  Mr. Speaker, I have had the great good fortune to have what I 
consider to be one of the best offices in the Congress and I offer this 
statement as a small tribute to their good deeds. While individual 
staffers have come and gone over the years, the office has always 
functioned as a team, always striving to do their best for me and for 
the citizens of Queens and the Bronx. I thank them all from the bottom 
of my heart.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to mention a few 
of my closest and longest served staffers; individuals who I have come 
to rely upon without hesitation and whom I consider to be friends.
  Jim Mathews, my current Chief of Staff, has served with me for over 
ten years. First as my Legislative Assistant for Merchant Marine and 
Fisheries, later as my Legislative Director, and then as my Staff 
Director for the Subcommittee on Fisheries Management. After a two year 
stint as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid 
Waste and Emergency Response at the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Jim was kind enough to return to work for me in his current 
position.
  Steve Vest was with me from the start, first as my Legislative 
Director and then as my Chief of Staff for many years. He has gone on 
to a successful career as Vice President of Government Affairs with 
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. His advise and counsel always served 
me well.
  David Springer served as my first Chief of Staff. Without David's 
excellent political insight and working knowledge of the Congress, I 
could not have been as successful as I was early on in my House 
service. He has since put his skills to work as a partner in the 
prestigious Washington Group.
  John Olmsted, my Office Manager, has been with me since I took the 
oath of office in 1985. How a son of Minnesota made his way to the 
office of a Congressman from New York City I do not know, but I am glad 
he did. John has kept our computers running and my expense account 
straight. I will miss his advice on the market as I head towards 
retirement.
  Brian Browne has served me well as my Queens District Office Manager. 
Balancing a new family with the long hours of a District staffer 
meeting with constituents at almost any hour of day or night, Brian has 
done a great job. I wish him well in his new career at my alma mater, 
St. Johns University.
  Lizzy O'Hara has been my eyes and ears on issues relating to Ireland 
and Irish Americans. I take some small credit for helping move along 
the peace process in Northern Ireland, which culminated in the Good 
Friday Accord. My success in this regard owes much to the tenacity, 
gregariousness, and hard-work of Lizzy.
  Elaine Simek, now a prominent securities lawyer in New York, 
previously served as my Legislative Director and my right-hand-woman on 
Irish issues. Her dedication over the years helped make the 
Congressional Ad-Hoc Caucus on Irish Affairs the successful 
organization it is today. And, like me, she was able to hold down a 
full-time job while getting her law degree at night school.
  Bill Driscoll and Fran Kraft both served as my District Office 
Managers for many years. Their knowledge of the District and local 
politics kept me out of hot water more times than I care to remember.
  My good friend and colleague, Walter McCaffrey, served me admirably 
as my very first District Chief of Staff. He later went on to win 
election to the New York City Council, where he still serves with 
distinction in the seat I once held.
  The rest of my current staff have all played an important role in 
keeping me informed and knowledgeable of a multitude of issues and 
concerns. As I said before, they are the real backbone of a successful 
Congressional office.
  Cinnamon Rogers, my Legislative Director, has done a yeoman's job for 
me on telecommunication and finance issues under the Commerce 
Committee. Matt Socknat, has helped me obtain crucial funding for 
cleaning-up a local water body and successfully fought to stop 
additional flights in and out of LaGuardia Airport. Maggie Berman has 
done a great job juggling my schedule while working on a number of 
tricky legislative issues. Adam Wolf has brought a unique sense of 
humor, dedication, and caring to his staff position. No one is better 
at obtaining White House tour tickets.
  In my District Office, Angela Dekker has had the unenviable task of 
keeping my schedule straight, and has done so with alacrity. Irene 
Baker has done an outstanding job taking over the office's press duties 
and working with my constituents on a multitude of issues. Julia 
Jimenez has slogged through countless immigration cases without missing 
a beat. The two newest District staffers, Ivan Lavios and Tim Higgins, 
have brought a new zest and determination to working with my 
constituents. And, Fran Mahony Reilly, my Bronx District Office 
Manager, has successfully taken on the responsibilities of a several 
person office all by herself. Without her, I simply could not have 
adequately represented my Bronx constituency.
  Mr. Speaker. Finally, I would like to mention a few other members of 
my staff, both past and present, who have made my offices very special 
over the years: John Feeney, Rodney Bedford, Sean McIntyre, Jorge 
Rodriguez, Tom Messina, Tara Thompson, John Smythe, Neal Fenton, and 
Peter Praeger. I am leaving many individuals out of this list, but I 
hope they understand that they all played a very important part in 
keeping the offices running and the constituents of the 7th 
Congressional District happy.
  Mr. Speaker, again I congratulate and thank all of my staff for their 
many years of service. I will miss them, as I will miss my colleagues 
and this great institution.

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