[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E70]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING MARK THORNTON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 13, 2009

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mark 
Thornton upon his retirement as Tuolumne County Supervisor, District 
IV. Supervisor Thornton was honored by the Tuolumne County Board of 
Supervisors during a regularly scheduled board of supervisors meeting 
held on December 16, 2008.
  Mark Thornton moved to Tuolumne County in 1976 after earning his 
bachelor's of arts degree in sociology from California State 
University, Fullerton. He spent many years as a historian and 
consultant, working with local, State and Federal agencies on various 
projects. He was an active participant in the public arena and served 
in several leadership positions including the Groveland Community 
Service District Board of Directors from 1979 through November 1983; 
Tuolumne County Historic Preservation Review Commission from September 
1990 through January 1997; Tuolumne County Blue Ribbon Growth 
Management Committee from 1993 through 1995; Oak Grove Cemetery 
District from May 1995 through January 1997. In 1996 Mr. Thornton 
decided to run for a seat on the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors 
to represent District IV. His election was a close one; he beat the 
incumbent by less than 10 votes.
  Over the last 12 years as a supervisor, Mr. Thornton has worked 
tirelessly to protect the rural quality of life in his district while 
allowing for cautious expansion. His passion has been the protection of 
the county's historic and cultural resources. Some of his biggest 
impacts have been in the areas of transportation, health care and 
airport and land use planning. He has supported economic growth by 
gaining an improved coach ordinance, providing an open forum for 
discussing the building permit process and encouraging reasonable 
changes to the county's long standing agricultural guidelines. In 
Supervisor Thornton's most recent term he was a strong advocate for the 
expansion of the telecommunication infrastructure in Tuolumne County.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Supervisor 
Mark Thornton upon his retirement from the Tuolumne County Board of 
Supervisors. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Supervisor 
Thornton many years of continued success.

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