[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 4, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MR. PATRICK DiDOMENICO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES T. WALSH

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 2003

  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Patrick 
DiDomenico. From 1973 until just recently, Pat served as an elected 
official for the Town of Clay, New York, first in the role of town 
counselor and then town supervisor for the past 20 years. This makes 
him the longest continuously serving town supervisor in Onondaga County 
history. His long life of public service came to an end on February 8th 
of this year after a battle with cancer. He was only 65 years old.
  Pat DiDomenico leaves behind his love for family and the town of 
Clay. I knew Pat as a genuinely kind and compassionate man who, when he 
wasn't smiling, was fighting hand and glove for the betterment of the 
town of Clay. He always marveled local colleagues with his steadfast 
ability to create astonishing opportunities and results from meager 
beginnings and often lopsided opposition. Under Pat's leadership the 
town of Clay has grown from a small rural community to a suburban 
township of 60,000 residents. His guidance is a testament to his 
skillful leadership of small town development. This is exemplified as 
Clay became the fastest growing town in New York State, growing from 
36,274 in 1970 to 58,805 in 2000.
  With the excitement of Clay's development, Pat made it a point to 
create fiscal prosperity for the town while easing the economic burdens 
of new growth. This is seen in the closing of Clay's landfill and the 
Three Rivers Project, which has transformed an old industrial area into 
a prospering tourist and commercial region for the town. His 
fingerprints can be found on all the major projects taken on by the 
town, foremost the development of Route 31, the Great Northern Mall and 
the recent completion of the new town hall. His visionary leadership 
was the primary root that has branched out into a town the size of many 
small cities.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to have known and worked with a leader 
who fought so hard for a town he loved so much. Pat is one of the best 
civic leaders I have ever had the privilege to know in all my years of 
public service.
  It is my honor to recognize Mr. Pat DiDomenico for his endless years 
of service on behalf of the people of Clay and Onondaga County. We owe 
him a huge debt of gratitude for all he has done. I extend my heartfelt 
sympathies to his family and friends, including wife Patricia and 
children Anthony, Patrick and Nicole. Pat's leadership will be missed, 
but his life will not be forgotten.

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