[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 17 (Monday, January 29, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2000
                       A TRIBUTE TO JOHN LAVELLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
someone that lost their life several days ago.
  Today, on Staten Island, at St. Peter's Church in St. George, many 
gathered, family and friends of John Lavelle. He was a State 
assemblyman from Staten Island and also the Democratic Party leader 
from Staten Island. His mother, his children and not to mention his 
colleagues in the State legislature, the Governor, the Attorney General 
and many members of the City Council, Councilmen Oddo and McMahon; 
State Senator Andrew Lanza; State Assemblyman Vincent Ignizio; the 
borough president; and so many others who flocked to the church to 
honor a good, decent guy.
  As I mentioned, he was a leader of the other party; and perhaps, if 
he had had his way, I wouldn't be here today. But in a way it is a 
reminder, and John Lavelle to me lived it, that you can disagree and 
you can feel very passionately about certain things, and, in fact, most 
often, John and I, we shared the same goals: how to help those who are 
poor, how to help those who are oppressed.
  He was the son of immigrants. The notion that new immigrants to this 
country make it the great country that it is and they need our help. 
The fact that he was such a community oriented guy.
  Some of the eulogies today emphasized not just his passion, but his 
son talked about John's grandson and will the community be okay now 
that his grandfather passed away? He had a beautiful family. Three boys 
and grandchildren that kept him going and kept him strong.
  He was someone who came into office not just for the sake of running. 
In fact, he spent many years in the private sector and, while in the 
private sector, paid his dues. He paid his dues at the soup kitchens. 
He paid his dues at helping those who were poor and oppressed. Politics 
was his life and his passion, but it wasn't just about politics. In my 
opinion, John was truly someone who wanted to help others.
  And I will bet you right now there are folks gathered back in Jody's 
Club Forest on Forest Avenue in Staten Island who are raising a beer to 
John and his life and his memory, as well they should, because as much 
as he brought to life a passion for politics, he also brought a passion 
to be around others and to fight hard during the day. Almost like two 
lawyers in a courtroom, they are fighting it out on behalf of their 
clients, but when the courtroom door closed, you could get together for 
a beer and share and swap a story or tell a joke.
  The world needs more folks like him. He was someone who wasn't so 
caught up on style. He was focused more on substance. Indeed, a 
straight shooter and someone who, although you may disagree with his 
policies or his point of view, he knew exactly what he meant and where 
he was coming from.
  So we pay tribute because I know sometimes in life, especially in 
political life, we have a tendency to get caught up in the toxic 
environment which is created, but I can tell you in Staten Island folks 
were able to rise above it. And last week alone, while John laid in the 
ICU, Democratic- and Republican-elected officials as well as so many 
family members and friends held vigil in the hospital to hope for a 
recovery that tragically and sadly did not come.
  Staten Island was a better place because of John Lavelle. This 
country was well served by his service. So tonight I pay heed not as a 
political official here but as a friend of John Lavelle.

                          ____________________