[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E27]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ARLINE WHITAKER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 21, 2004

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
friend and colleague who has played a major role in local government in 
my district, Arline Whitaker. As the Chair of the Farmington Town 
Council for the past 7 years, Arline has served her town with 
distinction and dedication.
  Arline has been an active, constructive voice in the Farmington 
community for decades and first entered local government in 1979, 
serving as a member of the Farmington Town Council from 1989-2004. In 
addition, she chaired the Conservation Commission from 1988-1989. She 
continued to serve in various capacities in local government while also 
contributing her keen mind and boundless energy to develop many local 
organizations, including the Hill Stead Museum, the Stanley Whitman 
House, Friends of the Farmington Library, the Farmington Garden Club, 
and Services for the Elderly, among many others.
  In her 7 years serving as chair of the Farmington Town Council, 
Arline has provided the leadership, enthusiasm, and long hours of hard 
work to accomplish an impressive list of projects. She led the 
initiative to build a new senior center, police station, and expand the 
Farmington library, while also acquiring 554 acres of land for open 
space preservation. She was involved with the creation of a new upper 
elementary school that provides our children needed classroom space. In 
addition, her relentless effort to seek State and Federal funding for 
local road improvements and the Rails to Trails project has brought new 
opportunities to Farmington residents to keep fit and enjoy their 
remarkable, scenic, and historic town.
  Arline's long service to the town of Farmington is notable and 
commendable because it both preserved and protected a rich and 
wonderful history and prepared Farmington to continue as a strong 
community for decades to come. As a friend of Arline's, I wish her good 
health, high energy and joy in all she undertakes, with the time 
released from her many public responsibilities. My thanks for her 
public service, the high standards to which she held herself, and for 
her personal friendship.

                          ____________________