[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 3 (Thursday, January 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E47]]


 TRIBUTE TO RETIRING WYANDOTTE COUNTY, KANSAS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY NICK 
                                TOMASIC

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 20, 2005

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
tireless, dedicated public servant of long standing, who recently 
stepped down as District Attorney of Wyandotte County, Kansas, after 32 
years of service in that office.
  As a former District Attorney of neighboring Johnson County, Kansas 
for only 12 years--from 1977 to 1989--I worked closely with, and got to 
know well; Nick Tomasic. First elected in 1972 and re-elected seven 
times, Nick Tomasic retires as the longest serving district attorney in 
the history of Kansas. More importantly, however, he leaves a legacy of 
incorruptible dedication to public service and to the rule of law in 
our society. As the Kansas City Star article I include with this 
statement details, Nick Tomasic served the public with integrity and 
determination, in an environment where holding to such standards was 
often difficult. As his friend and former colleague, I congratulate him 
on his well-earned retirement and wish him well in his future endeavors 
with family and friends. As a fellow former prosecutor, in particular, 
I commend him on his outstanding record of accomplishment as Wyandotte 
County District Attorney. He leaves a legacy which I am confident will 
never be equaled by his successors.

               [From the Kansas City Star, Jan. 8, 2005]

               Tomasic Is Praised for 32 Years of Service

                       (By Robert A. Cronkleton)

       Wyandotte County District Attorney Nick Tomasic pulled out 
     one of several scrapbooks of newspaper clippings that he has 
     kept over the years.
       Thumbing through the pages on Friday, he recalled facts of 
     cases he prosecuted decades ago. The details are as fresh as 
     if he had been in court the previous day. In one book he 
     paused at a picture of himself and ran his fingers over it.
       ``That's the day I was first sworn in as district 
     attorney,'' Tomasic said, chuckling at his horn-rimmed 
     glasses and youthful appearance.
       On Monday, Tomasic's reign as the county's first and only 
     district attorney will end. He has held that position for 32 
     years. His successor, Assistant District Attorney Jerome A. 
     Gorman, will be sworn in at 10 a.m. in Division 1 at the 
     courthouse. Gorman, a Democrat like Tomasic, was unopposed in 
     the November general election.
       ``When you look ahead, 32 years is a long time,'' Tomasic 
     said. ``But when you are looking back, it doesn't seem that 
     long.''
       Tomasic, 72, was first elected in 1972 and re-elected seven 
     times. He is the longest-serving district attorney in Kansas 
     history, dating to when the post was created in the early 
     1970s. Before being elected to the post, he had served six 
     years as an assistant county attorney.
       Tomasic came to the position when machine politicians held 
     sway at the courthouse and Kansas City, Kan., City Hall. He 
     said he tried to be apolitical and rid his office of special-
     interest influences.
       He recalled that early on, people with political ties would 
     send hams, turkeys, whiskey and beer to the district 
     attorney's office around Christmas time. He put an end to 
     that.
       ``It was not right to do it,'' Tomasic said. ``The right 
     thing was to stay out of politics.''
       But that didn't mean he wasn't willing to take on political 
     corruption. In an early skirmish, Tomasic ousted two Board of 
     Public Utilities members after a state investigation revealed 
     widespread corruption.
       One of the most difficult cases he faced was the 
     prosecution of former Kansas City, Kan., Police Officer John 
     Cheek, who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the 
     1994 shooting death of Milton Foster Jr.
       One exception to his rule of keeping the district 
     attorney's office out of politics came in the mid-1990s when 
     he strongly urged voters to approve the consolidation of the 
     Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., governments.
       Tomasic announced in 2003 he would not run for re-election 
     to the post.
       ``I think he has been a great district attorney,'' said 
     Wyandotte County District Judge Thomas L. Boeding. He said 
     Tomasic established himself early on as a district attorney 
     who intended to do what he believed was right.
       ``He sometimes filed cases that raised eyebrows in people's 
     eyes,'' Boeding said. ``He was determined that he was going 
     to do what the rule of law required and not be fixed on 
     favoritism.''
       Kansas City, Kan., Police Chief Ron Miller said Tomasic is 
     well respected in the community, including among law 
     enforcement.
       ``He represents the public very well, and he supports law 
     enforcement,'' Miller said. ``He has had, unfortunately, to 
     prosecute police officers for criminal conduct in his tenure, 
     but those were decisions he had to make, and he made the 
     tough decision.''
       Tomasic, who lives on Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kan., 
     said he doesn't have much planned yet, except to spend time 
     with his family, including 12 grandchildren and two more on 
     the way. He expects to do volunteer work.
       He will miss his staff as well as the job.
       ``I never had a day where I hated to come to work,'' 
     Tomasic said. ``Not one day. There might have been days where 
     I was not particularly happy about something, but I never 
     hated to come to work.''

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