[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING HARRY OVITT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2008

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Harry Ovitt, a resident and community leader from San Miguel, 
California, for his outstanding and exemplary service and leadership to 
the residents of San Luis Obispo County during his tenure as County 
Supervisor from 1989 through 2008.
  Harry has been a longtime leader in local government who has 
established and participated in a extensive list of civic 
organizations, all in the pursuit of improving the community he 
represents. During his 19-year tenure on the Board of Supervisors, he 
served as Chairman in 1993, 1999, and 2004, and Vice-Chairman in 1992, 
1998, and 2003. He also was active on various local boards, including 
the Children-At-Risk Task Force, the Mental Health Advisory Board, the 
Economic Vitality Committee, and the Resource Conservation District.
  During his time on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, 
Harry devoted himself to many issues to improve the lives of the 
residents within the County. He worked to secure funds to help 
construct both the Heritage Ranch Fire Station and the Meridian Fire 
Station. He established the North County Government Center in 
Templeton, which has a Sheriff's Substation and a County Agricultural 
Office. He was also instrumental in bringing a new courthouse to Paso 
Robles.
  Harry understood the importance of having adequate transportation 
infrastructure, and worked tirelessly to ensure residents had 
sufficient and safe roads as the County continued to grow. To that end, 
he has been a passionate advocate of making State Highway 46 safer for 
drivers through a widening project of this 2-lane highway as well as 
developing the North County Shuttle. He also worked to obtain mobile 
healthcare units, which visit communities around the County to provide 
basic medical services to residents so they do not have to incur the 
cost of traveling long distances to obtain medical services. Harry also 
worked to improve water quality and accessibility in the County. He 
formed the North County Water Forum, which examines the impacts of 
residential and agricultural development on the Paso Robles Water 
Basin, chaired the Lake Nacimiento Commission that has worked on the 
Nacimiento Water Pipeline Project, and is chairman of the North County 
Water Task Force.
  Prior to serving on the County Board of Supervisors, Harry was a Paso 
Robles City Councilman, a member of the Paso Robles Airport Planning 
Commission, and a past chairman of the Paso Robles Planning Commission. 
In addition to the public offices he has held, Harry always remained 
active in the local community. He was the Elks Club Citizen of the Year 
in the late 1980s and an Outstanding Jaycee of the Year. He was also a 
member of the Paso Robles Historical Society, the Santa Lucia Boy 
Scouts Executive Council, the Paso Robles Trail Riders, and a past 
chairman of the United Way North County Campaign. He is also a founder 
of the Clark-Ovitt Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has served 
the County since 1992.
  A true mark of leadership is the generosity of time and talents that 
one gives on behalf of his neighbors and community. Harry Ovitt 
exemplifies this time-honored tradition. I commend Harry for his 
service and leadership in San Luis Obispo County, and wish him well.

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