[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2008-E2009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RETIREMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE MIKE McNULTY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. MICHAEL R. McNULTY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 22, 2008

  Mr. McNULTY. Madam Speaker, you have seen ample demonstration of why 
I am such a grateful person, with all of these wonderful friends. No 
one could have a better friend in the world than Gary Ackerman. And I 
want to thank him, and Representatives Lowey, Hinchey, Crowley, Arcuri, 
Israel and Hall for the many kind things that they have said about me 
and the members of my family.
  I want to thank, of course, all of the members of the New York 
delegation, and also my dear friend the Speaker pro tem, my buddy, 
Jason Altmire, for his very kind words. I shall always be grateful for 
having been a member of our State delegation, chaired by Charlie 
Rangel. I am grateful to all of my Democratic colleagues.
  I am grateful to all of my Republican colleagues, especially Jimmy 
Walsh, who is a classmate of mine in the class of 1988, along with Nita 
Lowey. Jim is also retiring this year.
  I am grateful to all of those with whom I have served through the 
years, all of the Speakers, from Jim Wright to Nancy Pelosi, and all of 
the Republican leaders, from Bob Michel to John Boehner. And I am 
grateful to all of the staff of this great institution for the 
wonderful work that they do for us each and every day.
  I have been truly blessed in my life. Paralyzed by polio in 1949, God 
eventually granted me a near complete recovery. And just look at my 
life since then. I have been blessed with a large and loving family, 
many wonderful friends, and a career that I have thoroughly enjoyed for 
39 years--as town supervisor, as mayor. And as one of my colleagues 
back home said, and it is true, there is nothing more special than 
being elected mayor of your hometown.
  Then to go to the New York State Assembly for 6 years, and then 20 
years here in the United States Congress. And Steve Israel is right, 
when I am walking outside and I see the dome lit up at night, I still 
pinch myself that I am here, Mike McNulty, an average guy, from Green 
Island, New York, population 2,500. When I was a young public official, 
I had a dream. This was it, and my dream came true.
  I am especially grateful to my family, as others have pointed out, my 
wife of 37 years, Nancy; and our daughters, Michele, Angela, Nancy and 
Maria. I am especially grateful to them for the many sacrifices that 
they made so that I could pursue this career in public life, and all 
those of you who have families know what I am talking about. Thank you 
to our grandchildren, Teigin and Elijah, Lola, Morgyn and Daniel, for 
the joy they bring to us each and every day.
  I send out a special message of love to Teigin tonight. She is in the 
hospital, and, hopefully, she will be right back in action very soon.
  She was so proud to be here, standing right there in that spot at the 
beginning of this Congress, holding my hand when I stood up and voted 
to elect the first woman to serve as the

[[Page E2009]]

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. 
That was a very special moment for me, for the country and for Teigin. 
So I have special thoughts for Teigin tonight.
  I am grateful to the others that you have mentioned, my mom and dad, 
Madelon and Jack McNulty, and all of those who went before us, all the 
members of my family and to Frank and Lola Lazzaro, and all the members 
of Nancy's great family, for their steadfast support all through the 
years.
  As I look back on my life and I look forward to the challenges that 
lie ahead, I just have to acknowledge how much has been given to me. I 
have to acknowledge all of the lucky breaks that I have had in my life 
and in my career.
  In thankfulness and gratitude for that, I have tried, to the best of 
my ability, to give back. I shall always endeavor for the rest of my 
life to live according to the fundamental principle that life is to 
give, not to take.