[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H10831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WELCOMING THE HONORABLE MARCIA FUDGE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. 
Kaptur) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker and Members of the House, obviously this is 
a great moment of joy for our country and for our delegation. 
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge will become an outstanding Member of this 
House. She is an attorney, a businesswoman, and a mayor--indeed, the 
first female mayor, and first African American mayor of Warrensville, 
Ohio--since the year 2000. That alone constitutes major 
accomplishments.
  She has her law degree from Cleveland State University, and she will 
become the ninth female Member ever elected to this Chamber from the 
great State of Ohio, and only the second African American woman ever to 
be elected from our State.
  As Mayor of Warrensville, Ohio, she has been heavily involved in 
economic development. In fact, she said, ``I believe people started to 
feel really good about where they lived because of the results of our 
economic development efforts, and I think when people feel good about 
where they live, that pride transitions into so many positive things.''
  Congresswoman Fudge formerly served our beloved colleague 
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones as her Chief of Staff during her 
early years. She also worked early in her career on Carl Stokes' 
Cleveland bid for mayor, as a teenager, heading up Young Folks for 
Stokes.
  She has been a law clerk; a tax attorney; county prosecutor's office 
attorney; held Cuyahoga County Budget, Tax, and Finance positions; and 
she is Immediate Past President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, serving 
from 1996 to 2000. We know what a powerhouse that is.
  She's also a board member of the famous Cleveland Public Library and, 
perhaps most important of all, she's a member of the Baptist Glenville 
Church of God. We know she's come this far by faith.
  We welcome her here today and join her among our Buckeye ranks.
  I would be pleased to yield to the fine dean of our delegation from 
the Republican side of the aisle, Congressman Ralph Regula, who we will 
say goodbye to as a Member this year, but not as a former Member, and 
we expect to see him and his beautiful wife, Mary, very often.
  Mr. REGULA. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. It's certainly with 
pleasure that I rise today as the dean of the Ohio delegation to 
welcome our newest Member, the Honorable Marcia Fudge, of the 11th 
District. We will all sadly recall our delegation and this House 
unexpectedly lost our friend and colleague, the Honorable Stephanie 
Tubbs Jones, this past August. While we all miss Stephanie's warmth and 
friendship, today we welcome Congresswoman Fudge to this body.
  As my colleague from Toledo has said, she has an outstanding record 
of achievements, and I know she will be a very strong contributing 
Member to this body. Of course, she has the great experience of serving 
as the Mayor of Warrensville Heights. Any of you that have experienced 
local government, particularly as a mayor or a council person, you know 
that you have to learn to accommodate, compromise, reach across the 
aisle, and do a lot of things that will make for success in this body.
  Also, she is a product of Ohio's fine schools. She has a bachelor's 
degree in Business Administration from the Ohio State University. Go 
Bucks. She has a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law 
at Cleveland State University.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues on my side of the aisle, 
and colleagues generally, we are happy to welcome Ms. Fudge as one of 
our Members and wish her a long and successful career as a Member of 
this body. It's a great honor to serve in the United States Congress. I 
think all of us can attest to that.
  I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

                              {time}  1330

  Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman, and know that Congresswoman Fudge 
will be a valued member of our delegation. We have our work cut out for 
us.
  We welcome you.
  Madam Speaker, we yield back our remaining time.
  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) 
is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FUDGE. Thank you.
  Madam Speaker, Leader Boehner, Representative Kaptur, Representative 
Regula, the Ohio delegation, Members of the 110th Congress, it is, 
indeed, my pleasure and my privilege to be with you here today.
  I want to first just thank my mother and my family and my staff, my 
friends, the members of my great sorority--Delta Sigma Theta--all of 
the residents of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, where I served for so many 
years as mayor, and all of the people of the 11th District for the 
confidence they placed in me in the last three elections that I have 
been in over the last 6 weeks. I, as well, would like to thank my 
predecessors on whose shoulders I stand today--the Honorable Louis 
Stokes and my very dear friend, the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
  To all of my colleagues, I say to you that I look forward to working 
with you because there is much work to be done, and I am certainly up 
to the task. I am a person who you can count on. I will work hard 
because I know what my job is, and my job is to serve the people who 
put me here. I know that my job is to do the most for those who have 
the least, and so I will work hard because I have promises to keep. I 
have made promises not only to myself and to the people of the 11th 
District but to my departed friend. So count on me because I do, 
indeed, have a promise to keep.
  Thank you so much.

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